[Hoot Gibson]

The problem with the Cats' defense on Saturday was not that they were playing man. The problem is that they came out loafing in the first half. They did not hustle back on defense and UT got nearly every loose ball. Had they played a zone with the same effort, the result would have been the same.

When a team has superior size and athleticism, nothing beats a good man to man defense, IMO. Zones are good for hiding weaknesses, but well coached opponents eventually find those weaknesses anyway. Playing a man defense makes it easy to determine who is hustling and doing their job and who is dogging it.

Part of the reason that Kentucky leads the nation in rebounding is their defense. When UK plays up to their potential, nobody is better defensively but they are still very young and tend to go on cruise control too often.