No. 9 Kentucky's defensive struggles must improve after loss to No. 12 Louisville

Kentucky also struggled with 14 turnovers, which led to 19 points from the Cardinals. It did not shoot poorly, going 32-of-68 (47.1%) from the floor and 12-of-34 (35.3%) from deep, but could not get enough stops to take advantage of the 88-point outing.

Where has Otega Oweh been so far?

Oweh led the team in scoring (16.2 PPG) last season, so he was expected to carry that same load once he announced that he was returning for one more season in Lexington.

Through three games, that has not been the case. While he is averaging the second-most points (14 PPG) behind sophomore guard Collin Chandler (14.5 PPG), Oweh only had 12 points (4-of-13 FG, 1-of-6 3PT) against Louisville and ultimately fouled out of the game.

Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen led the way with 26 points (10-of-20 FG) and Chandler added four threes as part of his 12-point night, including this one that made it an 88-84 game with four minutes to play.

Sophomore guard Kam Williams only had five points, but added four rebounds, one block and was a key part of Kentucky's second-half comeback that fell short in the end.

With a brutal nonconference slate that still includes No. 17 Michigan State (Nov. 18), No. 18 North Carolina (Dec. 2), No. 19 Gonzaga (Dec. 5), Indiana (Dec. 13) and No. 13 St. John's (Dec. 20), there is a lot for Kentucky to work on defensively if it is going to reverse course and win those games.

If the defense can tighten up and take away the transition opportunities from the other side, this Kentucky offense looks explosive enough to hang with anyone. How it performs in those areas and how Oweh plays moving forward will be crucial toward its success in Year 2 under head coach Mark Pope.