As I sat in Rupp Arena on Saturday, I watched a Kentucky team with several significant flaws.  Poor rebounding, no interior presence, dismal free throw shooting, and absolutely no flow on offense.  None of this really suprised or bothered me.  Kentucky has often shown these flaws during the early months of the season as Tubby tinkers with combinations.  What did surpise me was the lack of defensive intensity and aggression that good teams under Tubby have displayed.   With a team like North Carolina in the building for a national television game, the cats should have come out like their hair was on fire.  Instead, for the most part, the cats appeared to be in a deep slumber on the defensive end.  These cats need to look back to a Kentucky team from a few years ago who began in similar fashion only to reshape their season by finally buying into Tubby's defense-first philosophy at halftime of that memorable Vandy game in Nashville.  When that team came out in the second half, it was as though they had transformed into hungry wolves, and Vanderbilt players had raw meat in their pockets.  This team can overcome all of their shortcomings if they take on that same hungry attitude.     

KSR Blue Blooded Opinions

Cats need to dial up defense

Mitch Barnhart and Mark Pope came together to make a gutsy call the new Kentucky head coach's hiring became official. Rather than setting up a

Mark Pope steps off the bus holding the 1996 national championship trophy at his introductory press conference - Aaron Perkins, Kentucky Sports Radio

KSR Basketball

Mark Pope grateful generations of Kentucky basketball history helped him with bus entrance

Any doubts about Travis Perry making it to Lexington to play for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats? The four-star signee ended them today.  Perry

Kentucky signee Travis Perry at Mark Pope's introductory press conference - Aaron Perkins, Kentucky Sports Radio

KSR Basketball Recruiting

Travis Perry locks in commitment to Mark Pope and Kentucky

Kentucky is making another run at 2024 five-star forward Jayden Quaintance, KSR has learned.  Originally scheduled for last week, Mark Pope has set

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Jayden Quaintance schedules in-home visit with Mark Pope

The 2024 NFL Draft is less than one week away. Professional football organizations are hosting final visits and making the final adjustments to their

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Former Kentucky RB Ray Davis catches a pass at the NFL Combine

KSR Football

NFL Draft Profile: Ray Davis

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In news that comes as a surprise to absolutely no one, Karter Knox will be following John Calipari to Arkansas after backing out of his commitment to

Karter Knox (1)

Karter Knox recommits to John Calipari at Arkansas

Dean Wells dominated opponents in the trenches. He was a Kentucky captain in 1992 and spent nine years in the National Football League. He tallied

Kentucky defensive lineman Dean Wells

Former Kentucky Wildcat Raising Awareness, Optimism in Fight with Cancer

Coach Mark Pope received his first commitment as the head coach at Kentucky on Tuesday, April 16th. That is when Class of 2022 four-star guard Collin

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Film Room: Amari Williams

Has Mark Pope found his third and final on-court recruiting assistant to join him in Lexington? Cody Fueger and Jason Hart have already been made

Mar 9, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA;  Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew with associate head coach Alvin Brooks III in the first half during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

NCAA Basketball: Baylor at Texas Tech

Mark Pope targeting Baylor's Alvin Brooks III as third assistant

A pair of rising high school seniors are winding down their respective recruitments. Kentucky is a finalist for each.  Class of 2025 defensive backs,

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KSR Football Recruiting

Kentucky cracks Top 10 lists for pair of '25 defensive backs

Collin Chandler has signed on the dotted line. The former BYU commit is officially a Kentucky Wildcat.  Head coach Mark Pope announced the addition

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Kentucky officially announces addition of Collin Chandler to 2024-25 roster

Make that two official hires for Mark Pope at Kentucky, this time in NBA veteran and longtime coach at the high school, collegiate and professional

NBA: G League-Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans at Ignite

Oct 4, 2022; Henderson, NV, USA;  NBA G League Ignite head coach Jason Hart reacts from the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 at The Dollar Loan Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Hart named assistant coach under Mark Pope at Kentucky

Amari Williams is a officially Wildcat. After four seasons at Drexel, the native of Nottingham, England announced his transfer to Kentucky on Sunday.

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Amari Williams brings elite defensive skillset to Kentucky

One of Mark Pope's most trusted assistants will be following him from BYU to Kentucky -- arguably the surest thing of this coaching carousel, now

Cody Fueger coaches the BYU Cougars under Mark Pope

Cody Fueger, BYU

Mark Pope adds BYU's Cody Fueger to staff as assistant coach

In what must have been a twist of fate, three of the eight head coaches in modern Kentucky Basketball history hung out the day before the program's

Tubby Smith, John Calipari, and Mark Pope pose for a photo at the Final Four (Photoshop by KSR)

Mark Pope, John Calipari, and Tubby Smith hung out at the Final Four?!

[Ed. Note: This article is from KSR+, KSR’s premium sister site. We’ve unlocked it to give you an idea of the content on KSR+. For more bonus

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KSR+ Basketball

How Mark Pope Spearheaded a $3.6 Million Practice Facility at Utah Valley

Tyrese Maxey's playing status is uncertain ahead of tonight's Game 2 in New York. Earlier today, it was reported that Maxey came down with an illness

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KSR Cats in the NBA

Tyrese Maxey is questionable with an illness. Will tonight be his flu game?

Kentucky needed to lose some scholarship players if some additions were going to be made in the spring  transfer portal window. Another wide receiver

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Kentucky WR Shamar Porter enters transfer portal

Transfer Portal Latest - April 18, 2024

Free agency recruitments in the transfer portal era move quickly. Players and schools must speed date to ultimately get to their final destination.

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Louisville transfer Peny Boone visits Kentucky

Recruiting in the Transfer Portal with Pete Nakos | Inside Scoop

Mark Pope's offense needs three-point shooters. Thankfully, Kentucky is still in the running for the nation's best three-point shooter, former Dayton

Dayton Flyers guard Koby Brea (4) against George Washington guard Trey Autry (0) at University of Dayton Arena - Matt Lunsford-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky makes the cut for Koby Brea, nation's top 3-point shooter

For the second time in as many hours, a Kentucky football player has entered into the transfer portal. Jackson Smith, a kicker and punter, announced

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Kentucky Specialist Jackson Smith Enters the Transfer Portal

We know of one official visitor currently on Kentucky's campus: BYU transfer guard Richie Saunders, who arrived last night. Turns out he's the first

Kentucky coach Mark Pope at his introductory press conference - Aaron Perkins, Kentucky Sports Radio

Mark Pope has official visits scheduled for each day this week

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has put up an MVP performance throughout the regular season, so why stop now that the playoffs have begun? In a relatively

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BBNBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hits game-winning 3-point play as Thunder outlast Pelicans in Game 1

There's some more roster movement as Kentucky football enters the second week of the spring football transfer portal window. Less than a year after

Kentucky wide receiver Ardell Banks

Kentucky WR Ardell Banks enters the Transfer Portal

Mark Stoops Blue-White Game

The NBA doles out seven annual awards for outstanding play in the regular season. Each award has three finalists and four former Kentucky Wildcats

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4 Former Kentucky Wildcats are Finalists for NBA Awards

Following its 17-13 midweek win over Louisville and first SEC series loss of the season to Tennessee, Kentucky dropped one spot from No. 3 to No. 4

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