This Kentucky men’s basketball season hits its 10th game on Saturday when the Wildcats travel to New York to take on UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic.
John Calipari’s club improved to 7-2 with Saturday’s 69-59 victory over the Yale Bulldogs at Rupp Arena. The Cats are 6-0 at home, 0-1 on the road and 1-1 on neutral floors. They are 0-1 against ranked teams, having fallen to then-No. 2 Gonzaga 88-72 in Spokane.
Here’s the big question: Is Kentucky improving? Is this a better basketball team after nine games than it was on Nov. 7?
Let’s break it down.
Offense: Before Sunday’s slate of college basketball games, Kentucky ranked 17th in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to Ken Pomeroy. The Cats shot the ball 50 percent against a defensive-minded Yale team that was holding opponents to 36.9 percent from the floor. In its two losses, UK shot 38.6 percent against Michigan State and 39.1 percent against Yale. Overall, UK is shooting 46.9 percent. Last year’s team shot 48.3.