Feb 8, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) smiles during the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

According to CBS Sports Kentucky has three of the best defenders in college basketball

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 12:07 PM ET

In year one of the Mark Pope era, the defense wasn't great for the Kentucky Wildcats as it finished ranked 51st in KenPom, and the defense struggled mightily in the loss to Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

This offseason, Coach Pope went out of his way to make sure that his team would be better on the defensive end. Via the transfer portal, Coach Pope brought in a handful of players who will take Kentucky's defense to the next level.

Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports wrote an article where he broke down who the best defenders are at each position ahead of the 2025-26 college basketball season, and three Wildcats made the cut.

The three Kentucky Wildcats that made the list were Otega Oweh, Jayden Quaintance, and Mo Dioubate.

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Obviously, many consider Oweh to be one of the best players in the nation, but many think of his offensive game rather than his defense. Oweh is an elite defender, and this is a reason why he should be discussed more to win Player of the Year this season.

Dioubate came over to Kentucky from Alabama, where he had an elite defensive season a year ago. He is an exceptional rebounder and paint defender despite being an undersized forward. Some players just have the mentality it takes to be force down low, and Dioubate is one of those players.

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Quaintance is fighting back from an ACL tear, but he was one of the best defenders in college basketball last season before the injury, and when he is back on the floor this year, he has a real shot to be the best defender in college hoops, period.

There is no doubt that defense was a struggle for the Wildcats last season, and it led to some ugly losses. The reason Pope is such an excellent coach is because he is able to fix the problems on his teams so they aren't issues the next season.

Kentucky will go from one of the worst defenses in the SEC to perhaps a top ten defense in all of college basketball. Adding this to an offense that fans know will be elite once again this season gives the Wildcats one of the best teams in the nation.

Over the last two seasons, Kentucky has had an elite offense with a bad defense, leading to needing a lot of points to win. This 2025-26 Kentucky team won't need a shootout to win basketball games.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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