Kentucky Basketball: Wildcats' Keys to a Strong Regular-Season Finish

While it's strange to see Kentucky basketball outside of the Top 15 in the national polls, the squad still has what it takes to be a serious contender over the next couple of months.

Despite a bunch of disappointing defeats both in conference and out, there is no denying the Wildcats are loaded with talent. The starting lineup is one of the best in the nation with several future NBA stars making an impact on the floor. The team is also heading in the right direction with three big wins in the SEC before an overtime loss on the road against Kansas last Saturday.

There is still a long way to go in the season, but the team can once again be a real contender in the conference and nationally if it follows these keys to success.

Let Tyler Ulis Do His Thing

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While Tyler Ulis has been good all year, his production in recent weeks has been on another level. If he can keep it up, Kentucky will be an extremely difficult team to beat.

The sophomore is averaging 19.3 points and 6.9 assists in eight SEC games, including at least 20 points and five assists in the last four. He is also playing good defense and rarely sitting down, playing 45 minutes in the loss to Kansas.

Even when Ulis has struggled lately, such as his 5-of-17 outing in the loss to Auburn, the guard still found a way to contribute with 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. He has become one of the best point guards in the country, and his production is a major boost to the Wildcats in every game.

Jamal Murray and Skal Labissiere might have the most upside on the team, but the more the ball is in Ulis' hands, the better for Kentucky.

Make Outside Shots

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This is easier said than done, but Kentucky has struggled mightily with its three-point shooting this season. The team has been better in conference play (34 percent), although for the year the squad is hitting just 32 percent of shots from three-point range.

Murray and Derek Willis are the only consistent threats on the roster with Ulis struggling and Isaiah Briscoe and Alex Poythress unable to get anything going from deep.

Despite the struggles, the Wildcats have shown they can still be dominant if the shots are falling. Their best win of the year over Louisville featured 47.8 percent three-point shooting, and they made 45 percent of shots in a recent 34-point win over Missouri.

Kentucky can't just stop attempting outside shots because it's important to keep defenses honest, but it would be nice to see a higher percentage of them going into the basket. More success in this area will make scoring a lot easier going forward.

Get Some Production from Bench

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Although the starting lineup has changed throughout the year, Kentucky hasn't gotten much help from the bench this season.

Labissiere has looked better in recent weeks but is still hit or miss, while Marcus Lee has been limited since losing his starting job. Meanwhile, none of the guards can be trusted to provide much production.

According to KenPom.com, just 30.4 percent of overall minutes are used by the team's bench, which ranks 253rd in the country. The result is a lot of pressure on the starters and, in turn, some struggles with fatigue. The stars can only do so much.

If the Wildcats are going to survive the final stretch, they will need a bigger team atmosphere going forward.

Win the Battle on the Boards

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One of Kentucky's biggest strengths is its size and athleticism in the post. Between Poythress, Lee and Labissiere, there are players who can attack the glass and rebound well on both ends of the floor.

The team has been especially impressive on the offensive boards, ranking 10th in the country with 38.8 percent of offensive rebounds brought down, per KenPom.com. This helps create extra opportunities for the offense and maintains consistency when the shooting is off.

This was not seen much in the loss to Kansas. The Jayhawks won the rebounding battle 42-31 on Saturday, including 14 offensive rebounds compared to just six for Kentucky. Making 53.2 percent of shots was certainly helpful to almost pull off an impressive win in a tough environment, but the inability to bring down rebounds held the team back.

Kentucky can't afford future lapses on the glass, an area where the team should remain dominant.

Keep Up Intensity

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Sometimes, college basketball comes down to which team wants it more. One squad plays harder and ends up getting more 50-50 balls and rebounds while playing better defense. This didn't describe Kentucky for much of the year, but we are starting to see it more lately.

In the blowout wins over Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Missouri, the Wildcats played with a lot of confidence, and it clearly made a difference in the box score. The same could be seen in the recent loss to Kansas, which featured some sloppy play but still enough energy to almost win in Allen Fieldhouse.

It is often tough to maintain consistency with such a young team, but it appears the squad has regained its focus and is starting to peak at the right time.

Although the Wildcats still have a lot to prove before they can be trusted as a legitimate contender, playing hard in each game will go a long way.

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