Entering the 2025 NCAA tournament, Kentucky was one of the more popular highly-seeded early upset picks -- for good reason, too. Some circumstances not entirely in the Wildcats' control stacked the odds against them, like boasting a roster with zero returning minutes/points from last year's roster.
Nevertheless, the Wildcats have found ways to overcome adversity in the Big Dance and are Sweet 16-bound for the first time since 2019. It's a testament to the outstanding job first-year head coach Mark Pope has done. And now, Kentucky's new leader is pushing all the right buttons when it matters most, specifically on the defensive end.
Kentucky's 11th in the country in defense over its past 13 games (h/t Kentucky Sports Radio). For reference, it's a stark contrast from their 217th season-long ranking. Whether this is a sustainable pace for the Wildcats remains to be seen. But if the team maintains this recently discovered tenacity on that side of the court, glory can restored to the blue blood program.
Kentucky's newly improved defense could propel them to their first Final Four appearance since 2015
While it's been an up-and-down inaugural campaign for Pope in Lexington, he's commanded the necessary buy-in from his players to lock in defensively. Illinois' offense was struggling mightily offensively in their second-round showdown, largely due to the havoc Kentucky was wreaking.
The Wildcats registered a whopping 14 steals, which resulted in 26 points off turnovers (compared to the Fighting Illini's eight). Moreover, they limited Illinois to a lowly 28.1 percent shooting on 32 three-point attempts and tallied four blocks.
Three of Illinois' top four scorers, Will Riley, Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic, were a combined 12-of-35 from the floor. They had no answers for a Wildcats stop unit with its head on a swivel. Kentucky has paired their tremendous offense with an unrelenting commitment to bottle up their opponents. The two-way prowess makes them as dangerous as anyone still standing in March Madness.
We know Pope's Wildcats have no problem putting the ball in the basket. They're 19th in the nation in offensive rating (116.7) and sixth in points per game (85.0). Kentucky has a stead of certified bucket-getters, headlined by Otega Oweh, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson.
Suddenly, Kentucky is equally capable defensively and is positioned to potentially reach their first Final Four since 2015 because of it – not to mention bragging rights against John Calipari.