Mark Pope Analyzes Kentucky’s Defensive Breakdown Against Ohio State
Kentucky’s defense took a major hit after a disappointing 85-65 loss to Ohio State, leaving fans and analysts concerned about the Wildcats’ performance on that end of the floor. Following the defeat, Kentucky dropped to No. 61 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings—a stark fall for a team that had prided itself on locking opponents down earlier in the season. Ohio State shot an impressive 56.6% from the field, including a staggering 68.4% from two-point range, exposing glaring weaknesses in Kentucky’s defensive approach.
What made the loss particularly frustrating for head coach Mark Pope was Ohio State’s modest 4-15 shooting from beyond the arc. The Buckeyes, one of the best three-point shooting teams in college basketball (41%), didn’t even need their long-range prowess to dismantle Kentucky’s defense. It was an all-systems failure inside the arc that allowed Ohio State to dominate.
A Shaky Defensive Trend
When the season began, Pope emphasized holding opponents to a “magic number” of 39% shooting or less, a standard the Wildcats hit consistently in their first six games. However, in the last six matchups, that mark has only been met once, revealing a defensive regression. With SEC play looming in January, the coaching staff is searching for answers to reverse the slide.
“We gave up 15 points on rejects alone,” Pope explained during his Monday call-in radio show. “That’s completely uncharacteristic of us. Our defensive design is to lead the ball handler in one direction, not let them reject the ball screen and go the opposite way. And yet, we failed to enforce that—over seven possessions, they scored 15 points, including an and-one. It was all twos, and they had a perfect field-goal percentage in those situations.”
Pope acknowledged that his decision to adjust the bigs’ positioning might have inadvertently exacerbated the issue. By pushing the bigs higher on screens, Kentucky lost its defensive security and allowed the Buckeyes to exploit the space. “I had emphasized getting our bigs up to the point of the screen to create more pressure. But when you let teams reject the screen, it completely undermines that strategy,” he admitted. “That one adjustment came back to haunt us.”
Promising Start, Disastrous Finish
Pope noted that Kentucky started the game on a solid note defensively, holding their ground for the first ten minutes. However, things quickly unraveled toward the end of the first half and continued into the second. The Wildcats failed to adapt, leaving Ohio State with open lanes and mismatches they consistently exploited.
“We started solid-ish. We gave up an early three, but otherwise, the first ten minutes were okay,” Pope said. “Then it all got away from us. A few key struggles started to build, especially with ball screens. We didn’t defend them effectively. And honestly, that surprised me because it’s something we’ve focused on and should’ve executed better.”
Multifaceted Failures
Kentucky’s defensive breakdown wasn’t the result of one singular issue but rather a culmination of several factors. Pope pointed to a lack of discipline on ball screens, failure to stay in position, personnel missteps, and overall distractions that compounded into a larger problem.
“We were getting beat going under screens, something we shouldn’t have been doing,” Pope said. “We threw in some zone, blitzed screens, but nothing seemed to work. Part of it is on me for trying to address too many issues at once, which caused us to lose focus on our primary defensive principles. (Bruce) Thornton, in particular, caused us major problems throughout the night.”
Pope also highlighted foul troubles and lapses in communication as contributing factors. “It’s a mix of things—personnel, our positioning, maybe being distracted by other challenges. But the way we defended ball screens was a glaring issue.”
The Road Ahead
Despite the defensive letdown, Pope remains optimistic that his team can turn things around. The upcoming break gives Kentucky time to evaluate their mistakes and make the necessary adjustments before the SEC season begins.
“We just have to come up with the right answers in the right amount of time,” Pope said. “This team has the potential to get there. It’s about going back to the fundamentals, staying disciplined, and building consistency.”
The Wildcats have shown flashes of defensive excellence this season, but as Pope works to address the underlying issues, fans are hopeful Kentucky can rediscover its defensive identity and regain momentum heading into January.
