Was Kentucky’s 97-87 loss to Texas A&M in the Southeastern Conference Tournament no big deal going into NCAA Tournament play or was it a major reason for concern?
Former Kentucky All-American Jack Givens worries it exposed UK’s weaknesses again after the Cats flexed their muscle in a road win at Tennessee to close the regular season.
“It just reminds teams of what could be the best way to beat Kentucky,” Givens said.
Sporting News columnist Mike DeCourcy has a little bit different take on the Texas A&M loss.
“The loss shows that Kentucky remains vulnerable on defense, particularly to guards who can both attack the lane and score from the perimeter,” DeCourcy said. “The Wildcats have won too many significant games, particularly lately, to forget what they're capable of achieving.
“But they'll need to continue to disguise their flaws. It's too late to fix them.”
The biggest flaw for Kentucky has been on defense and that has to be a major concern going into NCAA play. The Cats rank 108th nationally in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency. In the last five years, there has not been a team reach the Final Four with a defensive efficiency mark of 100 or higher
“I’m excited about going into this tournament. I am. When you can score the ball, you got a chance. Now, c'mon, let's just guard a little bit. And we did it at Tennessee. Tennessee is one of the best teams in the country. We did it at Auburn. Alabama in the end. So we can do it. It's are you locked into that more than anything else?” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the loss to Texas A&M.
One also has to remember that Kentucky was not the only ranked team to lose in conference tournament