It’s hard to complain after a win, but that is what we do here in Lexington. Kentucky scored 99 points, moved the ball, and looked like a team that can pile up runs when it’s feeling good.
But the part that should bother Kentucky going into SEC play isn’t anything it did on offense.
It’s the fact that Bellarmine scored 85.
Kentucky basketball gave up too much in the paint
Bellarmine shot 52 percent from the field and scored 38 points in the paint.
That’s not “they got hot from three and shrugged.” That’s “they got where they wanted to go” basketball. And they did, the iso-cut offense got shots that they wanted and scored on Kentucky's best defenders with ease.
If Kentucky’s interior defense and help rotations allow that kind of access the rest of the year, SEC offenses are going to hunt it. Relentlessly.
And you can’t just outscore everyone in this league, not consistently. Eventually, you run into a team that shoots well enough to punish you for trading baskets.
The free throw line tells the story too
Bellarmine went 26 for 30 at the line.
You can’t defend without fouling in SEC play and expect to win road games. Period. We all know how the referring is in the SEC.
Fouls kill tempo. Fouls kill rhythm. Fouls keep teams in games they shouldn’t be in. Fouls also turn your frontcourt into a minutes-management puzzle, and that’s the last thing Kentucky needs if it’s trying to keep bodies healthy.
Kentucky basketball has to string stops, not just highlights
Kentucky did block shots. Kentucky did force moments. But SEC games aren’t won on moments. They’re won on sequences.
Two stops in a row. Three good possessions in a row. One stretch where the other team can’t breathe. That’s the standard Kentucky has to reach if it wants this season to become something more than “fun when it’s clicking.”
The offense can carry you sometimes.
In this league, defense has to save you too as Kentucky found out last year when it struggled in many games it should not have, looking at you Georgia.
Now, can the inconsistent Cats, suddenly flip the switch after the New Year? That will be the question that has to be answered before we know how good this team can be.