Mark Pope and the Kentucky basketball team took care of business again Friday night with a 108-59 win over the Jackson State Tigers. The Cats improved to 5-0 for the first time since Fox, Monk, and Bam were rocking the blue and white. BBN is on top of the world right now and the hot start has most services placing the Cats in the top ten less than a month into the new season. We have all seen what the Cats are capable of, but how do they stack up against the rest of the SEC and country so far?
Explosive Offense
Mark Pope came to Kentucky with the reputation of putting an exceptional offensive product on the floor, and he has done nothing but the expected in his first five games. The Cats are top three in the SEC in scoring offense (1st in SEC/9th nationally), assist to turnover ratio (3rd/15th), effective field goal percentage (2nd/8th), three-point percentage (1st/17th), and fastbreak points (1st/2nd). The Cats have exceptional shooting and the ability to handle the ball at every spot on the floor (Brandon Garrison had six assists last night, come on). The Cats have put together one of the best offenses in not only the SEC, but the entire country. The scariest part is things only look to be trending positively as these guys continue to find their chemistry and rhythm with each other and the coaching staff.
Competitive Defense
I believe everyone can agree the defense has been much better than expected. The Cats are really good at a couple key stats including blocks per game (2nd/12th), field goal percentage defense (4th,35th), and rebound margin (3rd,47th). While the Cats don’t rank highly in scoring defense, tied with Grambling and Western Carolina for 137th in the country, it is important to note the context behind this. Ranking at the top of the conference in possessions per game, Kentucky’s style is predicated on getting up the floor and creating as many opportunities as possible for the offense. Unfortunately, this makes some defense statistics look worse than they are because of the increased possessions. Kentucky is first in the SEC, eighth nationally, in scoring margin, which accounts for pace of both the offense and defense. The Wildcats also hold fourth place in defensive efficiency in the SEC (22nd nationally) showing on each individual possession the Kentucky defense is good; they are just guarding more possessions than most teams.
Contenders or Pretenders?
Mark Pope’s first team is built to contend right away, and that should be terrifying for fanbases around the country. If the Cats can continue their top ten offense, top thirty defense trajectory they will be in position to get a one or two seed and compete for a national championship come March. Obviously, the competition will increase, but that can be said for most teams in the country (I am looking at you, Gonzaga). A team that can shoot, pass, protect the rim, and rebound has a chance in every game they play. We know from reports this week the team is going to be prepared for every opponent they play, and that alone is an advantage we haven’t seen in years in Lexington. Is it too early to be talking about contenders? Yes. Do I care? No. Kentucky is really good.
Photo credits to UK Athletics
