Making open shots and physicality will make or break Kentucky's season

The Kentucky Wildcats need to start making open shots.

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

With only one game left before SEC play, the Kentucky Wildcats have two losses on the non-conference record. The Wildcats have big wins over Duke and Gonzaga but two losses to Clemson and Ohio State.

The point of non-conference play is to diagnose a team's issues, and for the Kentucky Wildcats, the issues without question are physical and making open shots. In the two losses, the Wildcats had a lot of open looks that didn't go down. This team was built to shoot the three-ball, and while the season-long average is solid, they do seem to miss open shots down the stretch at times.

This team needs to be more physical down low, as opposing teams are finding ways to score in the post and drive the ball to the rim. These are two things the Wildcats need to clear up before SEC play because if they aren't making open shots and being physical, they will lose a lot of SEC games.

The good news for Kentucky is that this is college basketball, and ugly losses can happen. While Ohio State isn't a great team, and the Wildcats should have shown up better at the end of the day, it is a Quad 1 loss.

Kentucky has a lot of time to figure things out before the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament roll around. Ugly losses in college basketball are fine, and the Wildcats will have a ton of opportunities to get big wins during conference play. The Wildcats have things to clean up, but they have time to do it. Kentucky fans need to trust in Mark Pope as he is an elite X's and O's coach.