Kentucky basketball has to improve in this aspect of the game before SEC play

Mark Pope's team needs to improve on this and soon.

Dec 3, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Kentucky Head Coach Mark Pope during the first half against Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images / Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats have had a near-perfect start to the 2024-25 season, so it is hard to nitpick about how this team has played, but there are some places where they can improve.

early into the season, Mark Pope wanted his team to continue to improve on the offensive glass, and in some games they have and others, it has been a struggle. The Wildcats are tied for 125th in all of college basketball when it comes to offensive rebounds per game averaging 11.73 per contest.

Offensive rebounding is all about effort and positioning, which are two things this team excels in, which is why it comes as a surprise the Wildcats are so low in this metric. Now, like anything in sports, there is some luck involved.

If the Wildcats want to be successful in the SEC, which is the best conference this season by far, they have to get better on the offensive glass. Second-chance points will be massive for this team as the best way to get an open three is off an offensive rebound, and this team loves to shoot the three-ball.

Knowing the Kentucky Wildcats want to shoot 30+ three-point shots per game, it does come as a bit of a shock that they don't have more offensive boards. This often leads to long rebounds, which are grabbed by the shooting team a lot.

Coach Pope really wants his team to keep improving on this aspect of the game, which will be very important when the Wildcats are playing physical SEC games.