In front of twenty thousand people in Lexington, the Wildcats were forced into submission by the Crimson Tide. A home game loss was unexpected for Kentucky, especially considering the two game win-streak they were on, but it has been a pattern for the Cats, owing to their 3-2 SEC run. Kentucky has some defensive issues they need to sort out before going any further.

On The Field of 68: After Dark, show hosts John Fanta, Jeff Goodman, and Rob Dauster discussed the Kentucky Wildcats’ SEC let-down. “We saw them [Wildcats] on Tuesday, go and beat Texas A&M in their own building giving up just 69 points, their best defensive performance of the season. Then they turn around and give a hundred to Alabama,” Dauster said about the level of defense that Kentucky plays.

This is a team that held Brown to 54 at the start of the year, and Texas A&M to 69. But also, they have conceded ninety points or more thrice out of the last five games, one including 102-97 against Alabama. Defense has been a notable issue for the Wildcats who entered the matchup ranked 87th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency at 101.7. They were also outside the top 250 in scoring defense at 74.5 points. That isn’t lost on Mark Pope, often emphasizing their rebounding and 3-point defense lapses.

It was visible this game too, when they gave up 15 offensive rebounds and sent the Crimson Tide to the free throw line 34 times, something the head coach is not happy about. If this were to continue, Dauster believes it to be a problem for their tournament run.

“That level of inconsistency on that end is not something that is gonna be conducive to them being able to make a run in March,” he says. Adding to the sting was Jeff Goodman, comparing the Wildcats to two of the best programs in the nation.

“I just think if they put together their best game, it’s still not as good as Duke’s best game or Alabama’s best game,” he says, once again mentioning how the team’s defense fails to show up despite really good individual defenders. Kentucky has been one of the top teams offensively, with 7 players scoring in double digits against Alabama. But giving up 55 points in 20 minutes isn’t going to help their case.

Mark Pope’s team behind in the battle of the bigs

ACC veteran Tyler Hansbrough predicted Alabama’s victory, but also focused on one particular matchup–Grant Nelson and Andrew Carr. The two forwards have a ton of similarities in both their physique and their play styles, however only one dominated. Hansbrough hit it right on the nail when he said that Nelson would have the upper hand over Carr.

The six-foot-eleven big man from Alabama had a night to remember in Lexington, dropping a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double while shooting over fifty percent from the field. While he wasn’t that effective from three, Nelson barely missed at the foul line. On the other hand, Carr’s performance was rather underwhelming. With only one make out of four attempts, Andrew Carr put up 4 points in his home game. The forward’s commanding presence was missing in this crucial game, allowing Alabama to out-rebound Kentucky.

Mark Pope is aware of the problem Nelson caused, shedding light on the Cats’ flaws. “We had a tough time catching the move legally and we had a tough time bringing gap help,” he had said as the forward made 9 of his 10 free throw attempts. The head coach knows there’s room to grow, but it comes down to “how fast we can get better.”

Their next game is against Vanderbilt on the 25th. It will be interesting to see whether they can put this Alabama upset in the rearview mirror and get back in rhythm. What do you think? Will Kentucky recover from this predicament that they have found themselves in?