Mark Pope says Kentucky's off-ball defense improved against Valparaiso

Kentucky's defense has been producing like one of the best units in the entire country on that end of the floor, and after holding Nicholls to just 30 percent shooting from the field and just 2-24 from three, the Wildcats were at it again on defense, holding Valparaiso to 28 percent shooting and just 8-34 from deep. The Wildcats struggled in their second exhibition against Georgetown at guarding the off-ball movement as well as getting downhill, but Kentucky answered a similar challenge from Valpo.

Mark Pope talked about Kentucky's improvement in guarding off the ball on Friday. The head coach says Valpo played similar to how Georgetown plays offensively, very athletic and rely on movement at all times on offense, which is where the Hoyas torched the Wildcats in their exhibition. But, Pope noticed a lot of improvement in that area against the Beacons.

"We're trying to live on the defensive end. It's hard, it's hard to guard. It is really challenging, and this team was really challenging because their pace, they're just continuous movement, and they do a nice job. We knew we were going to be really challenged with our gap defense. You know, we talked about this. The exhibition game against Georgetown, they had a great movement off the ball. We were much better with our gap integrity and all of our gap concepts against Nichols, but they were more stationed more and more just space, so it makes it easier. And then with Valpo, they really challenge you with a ton of movement. I thought our guys did better."

Kentucky knew going in that Valpo would be wanting to constantly move the ball and have moment off the ball as well. That's exactly what they shut down on Friday, and it showed early. The Wildcats jumped out to a quick 13-3 lead, and from there, never looked back. With Jaland Lowe back initiating the offense, and Denzel Aberdeen or Jasper Johnson sliding over to fill some minutes at the one spot, Kentucky is in good hands with guys highly capable of running the offense. When you have that kind of high-powered offense to pair with a top 3 defense according to analytics, that's a recipe for a dangerous team.

The Wildcats will be facing a Louisville team on Tuesday with an offense that is ranked 3rd in the country according to analytics, and that features an electric freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr., who can get downhill and knock down shots, and is surrounded by shooters, so he'll look to facilitate a lot. They'll also look to spread the floor, so Kentucky's defense will need to be ready for their offensive attack.