Three takeaways from Kentucky’s 71-63 win over Kansas on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge:
1. Kentucky’s defensive improvement is legit
Over what is now a six-game winning streak, the Cats have shot up the defensive efficiency charts. That should continue after another stellar effort in which John Calipari’s club held the Jayhawks to 36.5-percent shooting from the floor. Kansas was nine of 23 from beyond the three-point line, but was just 14 of 40 inside the arc and was outscored in the paint 38-20.
That final stat was the difference. UK had the advantage underneath the basket and exploited on both ends of the floor.