It’s not fun to be a Kentucky Wildcats opponent these days. The No. 1 ranked team in the nation has been crushing every team, ranked or unranked, that stands in their way. It’s been so lopsided that it wouldn’t surprise us if the FCC begins labeling each Kentucky game with a Parental Guidance advisory.
The ‘Cats have won their first six games by an astonishing average margin of 36.8 points (tops in Division I basketball) and one of their victims was then No. 5 Kansas, whom they beat, 72-40, on November 18. It’s becoming clearer with each passing game that the Wildcats are indeed the heavy favorites to win the NCAA Championship next April. This sportsbook has their odds at +125 to win it all, and until Kentucky loses, expect this team to remain the favorite to win the national title.
The Wildcats have a terrific offense (82.5 PPG) and an even scarier defense (45.7 PPG allowed) plus they have the depth that made SMU head coach Larry Brown comment that the roster could actually be split into two ranked teams. They’re so good you might wonder if there’s a weakness in this team. Actually there are, and so far, we’ve found three.
First is the ‘Cats’ three-point shooting.
The Kentucky are shooting just 32.5% from the three-point area. Opponents have certainly taken note of this, which will likely lead them to concentrate more on zone defense rather take a chance playing a one-on-one defensive scheme against Kentucky.
Another concern is their poor work from the charity stripe. Kentucky shot just 67.9% from the free throw line last season and they’ve managed to be slightly worse on the young season. Currently, the Wildcats are 193rd in the nation with 67.3% foul shooting.
Finally, you have the team’s ability to take care of the basketball. The Wildcats are averaging 12.0 turnovers per game. In their last outing, a 92-44 win over the Texas-Arlington Mavericks on November 25, the Kentucky Wildcats committed 18 turnovers. For all intents and purposes, Kentucky is the strongest team in the nation right now. But they’re not flawless either.
We’ll see if the team will be able to address these issues moving forward.