LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) \u2014 When Mark Pope looks at last year\u2019s Kentucky team, he sees two different units \u2014 and two different seasons \u2014 on the defensive end of the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were really good defensively for the first half of the season,\u201d Pope said during Kentucky basketball\u2019s media day on Monday. \u201cAnd then we had a major fall-off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Personnel changes played a role. Scheme may have too. But Pope isn\u2019t looking to assign blame \u2014 he\u2019s looking to reset the standard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we were the 51st ranked defensive team in the country,\u201d Pope said. \u201cWe would like to be top 10. That\u2019s a Yeoman\u2019s task. We would like to be No. 1. But if we can slide into that top-10 space, it\u2019s going to serve us really well. That\u2019s going to be an every-second-of-every-day pursuit.\u201d<\/p>\n
To get there, Pope said Kentucky has launched a top-to-bottom overhaul of its defensive approach.<\/p>\n
Among the changes:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Increased pressure: \u201cWe\u2019re going to extend the floor more,\u201d Pope said. \u201cIt\u2019s not every second of every minute of every game, but there are places where we will always look to exert pressure right now going into the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Mobility over size: Pope acknowledged this group might be \u201ca little smaller\u201d than last year\u2019s team \u2014 but he believes it\u2019s also more versatile and mobile across all five positions.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Staff role adjustments: Behind the scenes, Kentucky has \u201credefined roles on the staff and the team\u201d to better support defensive accountability.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Practice intensity: \u201cWe\u2019ve attacked it on three different sides,\u201d Pope said. \u201cIn our practice time, it\u2019s just kind of the urgency of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also a clear emphasis on\u00a0defensive rebounding and contested effort metrics. Pope said Kentucky has charted \u201cevery single wedge, effort, every single live possession of every single practice all summer long.\u201d The goal, he said, is to make defensive impact measurable and central to everything they do.<\/p>\n
Pope believes his current roster gives him more tools to apply pressure and disrupt offenses \u2014 especially with the return of\u00a0defensive impact metric leader\u00a0Collin Chandler and the addition of athletic wings like Mo Dioubate and Cam Williams.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefensive mobility and determination \u2014 we\u2019ve got that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got the depth to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last season, Kentucky\u2019s defensive lapses became a recurring storyline, especially late in the season. In their final seven losses, the Wildcats allowed an average of 90.9 points. Pope is betting that greater depth, quicker athletes, and a full offseason of scheme retooling will make this year\u2019s team more disruptive and less reactive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s harder in college basketball than it\u2019s ever been,\u201d Pope said. \u201cGuys are so skilled. But I think we can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Pope can fashion a top 10 team in defensive efficiency, it would be the first time Kentucky has had that since the 2018-19 team. The climb back to that standard may not happen overnight. But Pope has made one thing clear: \u201cWe\u2019re not chasing achievement \u2014 we\u2019re chasing growth. \u2026 And this is one area we know we\u2019ve got to grow in.\u201d<\/p>\n
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