Kentucky Basketball: Early Concerns for Wildcats in 2015-16

It isn't always easy to find flaws in the undefeated No. 1 men's basketball team in the nation, but it is clear the Kentucky Wildcats are far from perfect.

After the latest 20-point win over Boston University, Kentucky is now 5-0 with each victory coming by double figures. This includes a 74-63 win over then-No. 5 Duke as well as four solid performances at Rupp Arena.

As with any young team, however, there are still concerns about specific parts of play. Although these haven't necessarily hurt the team to this point, tougher opponents could expose the issues, which would lead to problems.

Everything can be solved by the end of the season, but here are some early concerns surrounding the Wildcats basketball team.

Outside Shooting

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Three-point shooting was never supposed to be a strength for this team. Devin Booker and Aaron Harrison are gone, while the guards on this team are all at their best when driving to the lane.

However, the outside shooting has been pitiful even with low standards. After a 3-of-15 effort against Boston University, Kentucky has now made just 26 percent of shots as a team from beyond the arc. Only Derek Willis has a respectable mark at 5-of-14.

Although Mychal Mulder has been known as a quality shooter, he doesn't seem likely to crack this rotation. This means the players who spend the most time on the floor, mostly Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray, have to start making their shots from deep.

If this continues, defenses will be able to pack the lane and force the Wildcats to shoot over it. Against a good enough opponent, this could lead to problems.

Kentucky doesn't have to turn into Indiana anytime soon, but making at least 30 percent from three-point range would be a good start.

Defensive Rebounding

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With the athleticism and size Kentucky has up front, this is once again an elite offensive rebounding team. Unfortunately, this hasn't translated to as much production on the defensive end.

Every opponent so far has finished with at least seven offensive rebounds against Kentucky. Albany finished with 13, while Duke had 15. According to KenPom.com, the Wildcats currently rank sixth in the nation in offensive rebounding rate but just 113th on the defensive end.

You can be certain this type of effort has driven head coach John Calipari crazy watching from the sidelines.

These types of plays give opponents extra opportunities to score and ruin all the work a team did on a defensive possession. While this hasn't mattered in most of the games, Duke was able to hang around a game that should have been a blowout thanks mostly to the work of Marshall Plumlee and Amile Jefferson inside.

The problem here hasn't been ability or even effort, but focus. Players have to remember to box out on each shot and not expect their athleticism to win every battle. If they can do this, the defense will be almost unbeatable.

Skal Labissiere's Inconsistency

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

To be clear, Skal Labissiere is an incredibly talented young player who has a great professional career ahead of him. He also has been one of the more efficient freshmen in the nation, averaging 14.2 points in just 23.4 minutes per game.

The problem here is there have been and will be some bumps on the road as he develops into an elite player.

So far this season, we have seen Labissiere struggle to stay on the floor due to foul trouble, fail to make an impact on the boards as well as look tentative at times on offense. These would all be minor problems with other teams, but the lights are brighter when he is the best post presence on the No. 1 team in the nation.

Unlike other freshmen, Labissiere doesn't have as much luxury to make mistakes, especially against tougher competition. If he has a bad game, it could significantly damage Kentucky's chances to win. Not even Karl-Anthony Towns had this type of pressure.

It is hard to ask for too much more than what the center has provided overall this year, but he will need to be at his best every game going forward.

Free-Throw Shooting

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This has stopped many great teams from winning championships in the past, and it could potentially do the same this season.

Kentucky currently shoots just 65.1 percent from the free-throw line as a team, which ranks 254th in the country, according to Sports-Reference.com. Considering the squad's willingness to score in the lane and create contact, this will leave a lot of points on the board.

The recent win over Boston might have been the worst we have seen from this group. The Wildcats finished 13-of-26 from the free-throw line, although that actually looks impressive after the 6-of-15 start to the game. This helps a clearly inferior opponent stick around longer than it should.

Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray have proven to be effective shooters who will likely take on that role late in games, but players like Isaiah Briscoe (33.3 percent on the season) and Marcus Lee (35.7 percent) are huge liabilities who almost can't be on the floor in the final few minutes. This would take away a lot of ability, especially on the defensive end.

Free-throw shooting is a big part of the game, especially with Kentucky's style of play, and it could end up being a downfall if the team doesn't improve.

How Will Team Fare Away from Home?

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This is less of a concern right now and more of a question mark for Kentucky going forward. We have seen a lot of mistakes from this team so far, yet four of the five games have been against weaker opponents in the comfort of Rupp Arena. 

The win over Duke was on a neutral floor, but the jury is still out on road games. Additionally, the Blue Devils were as inexperienced in a strange environment, which took away any potential advantage.

Unfortunately, the upcoming trip to Miami to take on 1-4 South Florida likely won't reveal much, either.

The Wildcats do have some tough nonconference road games this year at UCLA and Kansas, as well as a full schedule of SEC games that could be serious challenges. Vanderbilt and LSU will especially be difficult to beat in hostile environments.

With a young and inexperienced team, every trip away from home will be a learning experience. Until then, we simply don't know how the Wildcats will react to different circumstances. This remains something to monitor as the year progresses. 

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