Mark Pope must work to improve Kentucky's defense and rebounding this offseason

Last season, the Kentucky Wildcats had an elite offense ranked inside the top ten of KenPom's rankings, but this team did struggle in some other aspects of the game.

The two main aspects where the Wildcats struggled last season were defensively and rebounding. Kentucky did have some games where they were solid on the glass or on the defense end, but these two areas also lost Pope's team some games.

The defense did finish up 51st in KenPom, but for a while, it was in the 120s in these very rankings. The loss to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 can be blamed on defense and rebounding, which is why Coach Pope needs to stress these areas with his 2025-26 team.

The good news for the Wildcats is that this roster is much more athletic and longer, which should help in these two areas.

In some recent interviews with Brandon Garrison and Collin Chandler, the two discussed that despite practice just starting, these areas will be a focus of the offseason.

There is a world where the defense is so good this season for Pope's team that it is ranked higher than the offense in KenPom. Players like Mouhamed Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance make this statement not all that crazy.

If the Wildcats are a more well-rounded team this season, it is going to pay off as the best teams in college basketball have high rankings on both offense and defense in KenPom.

Watch out for the Wildcats if Pope is able to make this team a defensive juggernaut.