The most alarming part of Kentucky's 96-88 loss to Louisville wasn't just the 20-point deficit, though that was terrible. It was the complete inability of the defense to stop Louisville's guards in any way.
Mikel Brown Jr. (29 points) and Ryan Conwell (24 points) did anything they wanted. When Mark Pope was asked about his team's inability to create any defensive pressure (Louisville had only 6 turnovers), his answer was baffling and a massive concern for the rest of the season.
“Our defense is not designed to be a high octane turnover defense. It's just not, it's not the space we live in right now,” Pope said.
That's a terrifying quote to hear after an opponent's point guard just had a career night. What is your defense supposed to do? These team is deep, athletic, and should be able to generate turnovers at a high rate. If you don't then why focus so much on defense.
Remember after the poor showing against Nicholls State, Mark Pope said all they were working on was defense, and hadn't installed their offense yet. After watching this game, what in the world were they working on?
How Mikel Brown Jr. exposed Kentucky’s defense
If the defense isn't designed to force turnovers, it's clearly not designed to stop a "special player" either. Pope admitted his team had no answer for Mikel Brown Jr.
“He is a special player... He is a terrific floor general… he really, really, really hurt us,” Pope said on the radio after the game.
The stats prove it. Louisville generated 19 points off turnovers and 11 steals. Kentucky's defense was, as Pope said, "on our heels... the whole night." They could not do anything to stop Louisville from getting what they wanted.
Pope acknowledged the defensive problems, which were also exposed in the Georgetown game, are far from fixed. But he also gave another quote that should have BBN worried:
“We just knew that we were facing an issue that we hadn't found good resolution to in practice, and it showed on the court tonight,” Pope admitted. “We'll get better.”
What in the world is going on in practice and what are they working on?
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion