Kentucky basketball will have a balanced KenPom ranking leading to a deep run in March

Kentucky basketball will be good on both ends of the floor.

Mar 20, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Mark Pope talks with the media during the NCAA first round practice session at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky basketball team is coming together, and Mark Pope has recruited a roster that should be really good on both ends of the floor.

Last season at BYU, Coach Pope's team was ranked 18th in KenPom with an offensive ranking of 14th and a defensive ranking of 60th. While it was better than Kentucky's numbers from a year ago, the same issue is present. Coach Pope's team has a much better offensive ranking than defense.

Coach Pope clearly wants to correct these numbers during his first season at Kentucky based on the way he recruited in the transfer portal. Amari Williams and Lamont Butler were two of the first few players Coach Pope got from the portal, and they are both elite defenders. Coach Pope also landed Otega Oweh from Oklahoma, who is another great defensive player.

But BBN, don't worry, as the Wildcats also stacked up some elite offensive weapons as Coach Pope brought in Andrew Carr, Koby Brea, and Jaxson Robinson, who will all put a bunch of points on the stat sheet every night.

The way Coach Pope put this roster together, the hope is that the Wildcats will be top 20 in both offensive and defensive rankings on KenPom. Teams that have numbers like this are the ones that make runs in the NCAA Tournament.

Unlike last season, the 2024-25 Kentucky basketball team is going to be able to get stops so they won't have to win every game in a shootout. Coach Pope has put together the perfect roster.