March, in the college basketball world, is the biggest month of the year. Conference tournaments take place, then March Madness begins, before a champion is crowned.
As the season winds down, fans pay attention to Top 25 rankings, and Bracketology predictions, but the KenPom rankings, while not as popular with fans, hold a lot of weight with analysts. They have also been a pretty good predictor of NCAA Tournament success.
As the final month of the season begins, Kentucky sits at s18th in the rankings overall after their last second win over Mississippi State. Offensively, they’re among the best in the nation, ranking sixth in the country with 122.7 points per 100 possessions.
Defensively, as has been the case for much of the year, they lag a bit behind. They rank 86th in points allowed per 100 possessions at 101.9. It will be difficult to make a championship run if that number continues.
The Wildcats have time to improve that defensive efficiency number before the season ends, and they’ll need to if they want to make an impact in the NCAA Tournament. If they can’t, March Madness won’t be much fun for Kentucky again this year.