Kentucky Basketball: Biggest Takeaways from Wildcats' Season So Far

The 2015-16 Kentucky Wildcats will be remembered for what happens over the next two months, although the first 25 games have taught us quite a bit about this group.

After some struggles in the middle of the year, the squad is back on top of the SEC and once again appears to be a tough team to beat. Head coach John Calipari might not have been able to watch much of the latest win over South Carolina, but he has the team moving in the right direction.

Still, there have been quite a few highs and lows throughout the season to define this team. Here is a look at the biggest takeaways from the year to this point.

Defense Remains Key to Victory

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Offense is fun to watch, but defense wins championships. While this is true for most sports, Kentucky has especially proven this mantra during the season.

The Wildcats have only allowed eight teams to reach 70 points this year, a solid feat considering the recent rule changes that have created more scoring across the league. The problem is they have lost six of these games, only beating Mississippi State and Louisville.

Recent losses to Kansas and Tennessee were mainly a product of leaving way too many open shots, as the teams combined to go 16-of-36 (44.4 percent) from three-point range.

On the plus side, there has been a much better focus and intensity over the current three-game winning streak. Florida, Georgia and South Carolina averaged just 57 points per game while shooting 31.6 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from three-point range.

The defense has elite shot-blockers and athletic guards to defend the perimeter. If this level of play continues, Kentucky will keep winning.

Shooting Isn't as Bad as We Thought

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A few weeks ago, Kentucky's offense was as one-dimensional as almost anyone in the nation. If a team was capable of defending the paint, the Wildcats had virtually no chance to score.

Heading into January, they were shooting just 31.7 percent from three-point range, with Jamal Murray being the only real threat to make outside shots. Things have certainly changed since then.

Kentucky is shooting 38.2 percent from beyond the arc in SEC play, including 50 percent over the last three games. Inserting Derek Willis into the lineup has helped spread the floor along with Dominique Hawkins returning from injury. Tyler Ulis has also started making shots like he did last season.

It's unlikely the red-hot shooting from the past few games will continue, but at least we know the team is capable of creating some offense from the perimeter. At the very least, this forces defenses to remain honest, opening things up in the lane. Any additional shots the team hits from here on are simply a bonus.

Skal Labissiere Won't Reach Expectations

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Skal Labissiere has become a quality contributor off the bench, but we can probably give up on expecting him to live up to his status as the No. 2 player in the 2015 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

Even if his upside remains high, the freshman has been nothing short of a disappointment this season and hasn't improved his production since Day 1. In conference play, he is only averaging 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game. Even with Alex Poythress out of the lineup in recent games, it was Marcus Lee and Isaac Humphries getting expanded playing time.

"I probably screwed this guy up trying to make him Karl Towns," Calipari admitted recently, per Bleacher Report's C.J. Moore.

Towns came along slowly but ended up making a huge impact in the final month of the season. Labissiere isn't likely to make a similar contribution this year. Instead, he will only be an extra big man off the bench.

Consistency and Focus Are Lacking

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The entire college basketball season has been filled with upsets, but most of them have been understandable. A road loss to a quality opponent is understandable, even for a Top Five squad. However, some of Kentucky's defeats have been beyond explanation.

According to ESPN's RPI, the Wildcats are an incredible 5-1 against top 50 opponents. The problems come with five losses to teams below the top 50, including Tennessee and Auburn listed at well below 100.

Obviously, going on the road is never easy. Still, this team has dominant wins over Alabama and South Carolina as well as an overtime loss against Kansas in one of the toughest atmospheres in college basketball. It's clear this team has the ability to compete with anyone; it just struggles to do it every time.

Kentucky has to avoid mental lapses on defense and poor shooting nights on offense in order to prevent more letdowns as the season progresses.

Kentucky Is Still a Top Contender

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As discussed this week, Kentucky remains a realistic contender for a national championship regardless of the current record.

The Wildcats have an elite backcourt in Ulis and Murray, and now that the shots are falling, the offense is balanced and difficult to stop. On the other end of the court, they have all the pieces to have the type of shutdown defense that fueled last year's squad to the Final Four.

KenPom.com currently lists Kentucky as No. 1 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in the SEC. While the conference hasn't been as good as anticipated, it's clear this is a team with all the tools to succeed.

With no real dominant teams across the country, the Wildcats can go on a run this postseason and bring home another national championship. 

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