Chin Coleman likes Kentucky's defensive growth, but looking for more

Much has been said about Kentucky’s offensive production, with the Wildcats ranked No. 3 overall in team efficiency by KenPom and No. 8 in scoring (82.1 PPG). It’s a team loaded with playmakers, shooters and scorers, one capable of beating you at all three levels.

Defensively, though, UK struggled to find its footing earlier in the year, allowing scoring bursts both inside and on the perimeter. The Wildcats have since found their grooves on that end of the floor, especially in recent weeks, with the team now ranked No. 20 overall in defensive efficiency and allowing 64.1 points per contest (No. 55 overall).

It’s a step forward, certainly, but Kentucky assistant coach Chin Coleman isn’t settling for top 20. He believes this group is capable of being elite on both ends of the floor.

“It’s come along a lot better,” Coleman said Tuesday. “Obviously, your defense will continue to be a work in progress because every individual game has its own different dynamics. But to say that we’re underrated, I don’t know. Coach Calipari’s Kentucky defensive team right now is top 20 in the country. We’re still striving to be a top 10, so there’s still room for us to grow.

“We’re not the best defensive team in the country, but we’re striving to be. Coach Cal’s got us working on being better defensively every single day.”

Coleman, known as a defensive guru during his time at Illinois, said back in January he wanted this team to claw its way into the top 15 of the defensive efficiency rankings. Historically, that’s the true indicator of a Final Four team.

“Historically in the last 15 years, the teams that have been in the top 15 in defense have made it to the Final Four,” Coleman said at the time. “We’re right outside of that right now. … We’re trending in the right direction, really close to being a really good defensive team.”

One month later, and the Wildcats are still just outside that top-15 mark, but they’re knocking on the door.

The next opportunity to inch closer toward that target? A Wednesday night matchup against the Vanderbilt Commodores, a team Kentucky defeated 78-66 in Nashville back on January 11.

It was a game in which the Wildcats led 78-50 with 6:13 to go, but allowed a 16-0 run for the Commodores to close out the game. Vanderbilt star guard Scotty Pippen Jr. also finished with 32 points on 11-18 shooting and 6-11 from three.

UK still won easily, but it was a finish that left a bad taste in the team’s mouth in Nashville.

“They’ve got a kid that got 30 points on us last time we played them, so first and foremost, he’s at the top of our scouting report,” Coleman said. “We’ve got to do a better job with him. We’re also trying to continue to duplicate what we did with the other guys, but you can’t let guys get 30 points. A guy like him, you’ve got a guy that gives you a chance, that can beat you. You’ve got to try and stop that particular person or player from beating you.

“They play a small kind of ball, which puts you at a disadvantage. Multiple guys that can handle multiple guys, can make plays. Their record is better on the road than it is at home. So we understand that, we know that they’re a better team away from their building. I’m sure they’re gonna come in here with some confidence to know they can win on the road.”

It’s not just Pippen, either. Coleman likes some of the other players on the Vanderbilt roster, especially sixth-year senior guard Rodney Chapman.

“We have to make sure that we do a good job of taking away probably an all-league guard,” Coleman said. “He’s got some other guys that go along with them. The first time we played them, (Rodney) Chapman didn’t play. He’s back playing, he’s starting now. That gives them another guy that can handle the ball, gives them another guy that can take some of the pressure off of Pippin.

“We’ve got our (work) cut out. We’ve got to make sure that we’re on top of our game for sure.”

Kentucky will host Vanderbilt at Rupp Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.