Kentucky Basketball: 5 Things on Wildcats' Holiday Wish List

The 2015-16 season has gone mostly according to plan for the Kentucky Wildcats, but there are still plenty of flaws. With this being the holiday season, it might be time to wish for some improvements.

So far this year, we have seen Kentucky play very well in most of its games to build up an 8-1 record. The one defeat was certainly a disappointing one at the hands of UCLA, although few expected this team to challenge for a perfect season. The loss could easily just be a speed bump at the start of a great season.

With that said, the Wildcats are still far from where they need to be at the end of the year. Even with plenty of talent, this group must get better in a number of areas in order to contend for a national championship.

While some of these improvements could happen naturally, fans should be putting a few of the following things on their wish list this month.

Bigger Nets

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Considering how poor the team's outside shooting has been this year, it would certainly be easier if Kentucky could just play with bigger nets. In reality, the hope is that the rims will at least seem bigger as the year progresses.

Through nine games, the Wildcats are shooting just 27.5 percent from three-point range, good for 332nd in college basketball, per Sports-Reference.com. Jamal Murray is leading the way with just 18 made threes and a 33.3 percent rate, not exactly what you want to see from an elite team.

The players have adjusted their game and are more willing to drive to the net to find an easier shot, but this inability to shoot could cause problems as the year continues. Opponents are going to stack the paint and force players to make shots in order to score, likely leading to extended scoring droughts.

There is certainly enough talent to expect better shooting as the year progresses, but fans better wish for it to happen sooner than later.

Increased Awareness

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Like the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, many people would wish to be smarter if they had a chance. Kentucky players could have a similar wish, although the problem isn't a lack of intelligence as much as basketball IQ.

The players have simply struggled at times with awareness on the court.

Kentucky currently averages about 13 turnovers per game, with 5.6 of them coming from guards Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe. For the year, the team has only 123 assists to 114 turnovers, not exactly a great ratio for a team of this caliber. There have also been defensive lapses to allow open shots.

This is obviously not a great concern at the early part of the season. The primary rotation is mainly freshmen and players without much experience at the college level.

Awareness often comes from experience while learning from your mistakes.

As the year progresses, the expectation is Kentucky will start making smarter decisions on both ends of the court. The wish is this will happen as soon as possible.

Pleasant Travels

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Who wouldn't put a vacation on their holiday wish list? Kentucky will have plenty of chances to travel this winter, although the question is whether those trips will be enjoyable ones.

The Wildcats have played in only one true road game so far this season, and that resulted in a 10-point loss to UCLA. They do have two wins on neutral floors this year, but they have to prepare themselves for a lot of tough challenges in the SEC in hostile environments.

After a few more home and neutral games, Kentucky's next road test will be at LSU, a squad that has stumbled but still has tons of obvious talent. Ben Simmons could be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft and will ensure that the Wildcats don't leave with an easy win.

Trips to Vanderbilt, Florida, Texas A&M and others will be difficult within the conference, not to mention a late nonconference battle at Kansas.

Winning on the road is never easy in college basketball, and it is even tougher with a roster featuring few veterans. The Wildcats better hope they are able to handle this pressure to survive the rest of the season.

Toughness

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This isn't a wish anyone can give you but has to come from within. Of course, more toughness is likely something head coach John Calipari will be wishing for with his team this year.

Statistics aside, it was clear in the loss to UCLA that Kentucky was simply outworked. Tony Parker and Thomas Welsh seemingly did whatever they wanted in the paint, and the Wildcats couldn't keep up.

Skal Labissiere was unable to produce on either end of the court, and he was even more exposed once Marcus Lee went down with an injury.

Kentucky certainly looked better against Eastern Kentucky with Lee back in action and Alex Poythress playing as well as ever, but there will be tougher games like this ahead.

Opponents will be bigger, stronger, more experienced and more willing to play hard on every possession because they know this is a big game. Even with more talent, the Wildcats won't be able to win without matching this toughness and intensity.

Now that they have gotten this wake-up call, there will hopefully be a much better display in the coming weeks and months.

Prosperity for Those Around Us

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It's the holiday season, so you should want happiness for you as well as those around you—even your biggest rivals.

Kentucky cruised through the regular season this year with few real challenges in the SEC. This might have hurt the team in the Final Four, as the players had minimal experience in close games. The reality is a better conference and tougher challenges during the year actually help everyone.

Additionally, the perception of the conference could be important when it comes to seeding in the NCAA tournament.

To this point, the rest of the SEC hasn't exactly held up its end of the bargain. Florida, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M have all showed promise but picked up multiple losses in recent weeks. South Carolina is undefeated but hasn't faced much competition.

The Wildcats actually need to hope for more success from the rest of the conference in order to get the most out of the season.

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