Kentucky's Defense Causes Fans to Question March Madness Hopes After Vanderbilt Loss

Ezra Manjon scored 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting to lead the sixth-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores to an 80-73 win over the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC men's basketball tournament quarterfinals Friday.

Kentucky's defense encountered significant issues against the guard trio of Manjon, Jordan Wright and Tyrin Lawrence. Wright and Lawrence each scored 18 points.

A 12-0 Vanderbilt run to close the first half turned a 34-27 deficit into a 39-34 halftime advantage.

The Commodores offense kept the team up by five or more points throughout the entire second half despite productive evenings from UK starters Antonio Reeves (22 points), Jacob Toppin (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Oscar Tshiebwe (19 points, 15 rebounds).

With that, Kentucky's SEC tournament journey is over.

There's no doubt the Wildcats will make it to the NCAA tournament—most Bracket Matrix projections pegged Kentucky safely in as a No. 6 seed entering Friday.

However, Kentucky's defensive struggles raise significant cause for March Madness concern.

Per KenPom.com, Kentucky ranked No. 67 of 363 Division I teams in adjusted defensive efficiency entering Friday. The Wildcats were also No. 120 in field-goal percentage defense.

Kentucky has played some ugly defensive games in SEC play, including an 88-73 loss to Arkansas and an 89-75 defeat to Missouri.

The Vanderbilt loss wasn't on those levels, but it showcased what might end up being Kentucky's Achilles' heel in the NCAA tournament.

During and after the game, Twitter raised concerns about UK's defense.

The Wildcats now await to hear their tournament fate on Sunday. The bracket will be released beginning at 6 p.m. ET. CBS will televise the proceedings.

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