The Kentucky Wildcats And The Quest For Perfection

The Kentucky Wildcats have done great things during the John Calipari era, and this year could become something really special.

There’s one team in college basketball that has everyone talking: the Kentucky Wildcats – and for good reason.

For the third year in a row, Kentucky came into the season as the top ranked team, and this time they came with nine (!!) McDonald’s All-Americans (which is tied for the most ever).

Most people expected this team to be a project that would need some time to learn how to play together, but they haven’t waited a second to show how good they are.

The Wildcats are 12-0 and have held down the top spot in the nation the whole season and have looked like the most dominant team in college basketball, and it’s because of their defense.

Kentucky is currently second in scoring defense (47.7 points per game), first in opponents’ shooting percentage (30 percent) and first in blocks (8.7 per game).

Their loaded talent mixed with NBA size has proved to be too much for teams. They simply overwhelm their opponents on the defensive end.

It would usually be safe to assume that Kentucky was just pushing up their numbers against poor teams, but they have dominated the top competition that has been given to them.

They faced off against Kansas (the fifth-seed in the nation at the time) in the first week of the season and absolutely crushed them. The Wildcats held the Jayhawks to 19.6 percent shooting and blocked 11 of their shots on the way to a 72-40 win.

Five games after that victory, Kentucky met another top team in Texas (the sixth-seed in the nation at the time). This game was a little tighter, but the outcome never seemed in doubt as Kentucky held Texas to 29.8 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers on the way to a 63-51 victory.

Soon after that, Kentucky hosted North Carolina (the 21st-seed in the nation at the time). The Tarheels had a solid day shooting the ball (45 percent), but the Wildcats still forced them to commit 19 turnovers on the way to a 84-70 victory.

Finally, the most recent (and most dominating) performance against the UCLA Bruins that started this whole conversation. Although the Bruins are not a ranked team, they are a team with a lot of talent and a probable lottery pick. Kentucky started the game on a 24-0 run and never looked back as they held UCLA to just seven points in the first half. The Wildcats held the Bruins to only 26.8 percent shooting from the field, had 13 blocks and eight steals on the way to a 83-44 blowout.

A popular topic since that last victory is whether or not Kentucky can finish the season undefeated.

I’ve read and heard many reasons as to why the team won’t go undefeated, but I only think one thing: why can’t they?

It might sound a little bit crazy, but this team looks just as good as the 2012 Wildcats that won it all. That team was phenomenal and they only lost two games by a combined eight points.

I feel good about this team’s shot at going undefeated simply because of how they play. It would be one thing if they were an offensive powerhouse built on elite scorers, but their not. You’re always going to have games where you struggle offensively – it’s inevitable. However, they are a defensive team first and foremost, and that is a style that should translate ever night. As long as their effort is there, the Wildcats aren’t losing any talent or size on the defensive end.

With all that said, I think their best shot at losing is this weekend when they play at Louisville. The wins over Kansas and UCLA were played at neutral locations, but this will be Kentucky’s first true road game.

The Cardinals are 11-0 which is good enough to have them as the fourth-seed in the nation, and they are also a strong defensive team. They are currently seventh in scoring defense (54.4 points per game), seventh in opponents’ shooting percentage (34.3 percent) and sixth in blocks (7.2 per game).

I expect this to be an ugly defensive battle, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kentucky lost. After all, the first road game – especially in this type of environment – is always a big deal for such a young team.

But if they can pull out this win, the rest of the regular season doesn’t seem too scary in their quest to perfection.

Kentucky will finish out 18 regular season games against their SEC opponents after playing Louisville. The conference has had some great teams in the past, but it’s not looking too good for anyone not named Kentucky right now.

None of the following opponents are ranked, and they all have at least two losses already – most actually have three or more.

Regardless of records, I know there will be a few rough road games for Kentucky during their conference play, and they won’t be able to take any of their opponents lightly as every team is going to get up for the Wildcats.

During the tournament era, there have been 15 teams to go undefeated in the regular season, and then another eight teams who have gone undefeated all the to winning a championship.

Does Kentucky have what it takes to pull off perfection?

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