‘We’re taking it personal.’ Quade Green vows better defense ahead for Kentucky.

At Tuesday’s news conference, Kentucky Coach John Calipari all but called for fans to start chanting “defense-defense-defense” beginning with Wednesday night’s game against winless Monmouth.

Kentucky (5-1) will score enough points to be successful this season, he said. Of UK’s ultimate destiny, he said, “It’s all take-pride-on-this-defense. Take pride in stopping people.”

As of Tuesday, Kentucky’s defensive numbers were not pretty. The Cats ranked No. 256 nationally in average points allowed (75.5), No 279 in opponents’ shooting accuracy (45.8 percent) and No. 350 (that’s fourth from dead last in the United States) in opponents’ three-point shooting accuracy (43.4 percent).

So no wonder Calipari sighed when asked the defensive standard he wants Kentucky to reach.

“The standard defensively?” he said repeating the question. “How about this: Let’s just be better than yesterday.”

Staying in a defensive stance. Anticipating the offensive move. Using the players’ length more effectively. Rotating to help the teammate as a help defender. All must be better, the UK coach said.

Calipari even voluntarily mentioned a tactical retreat and becoming — horror of horrors — reliant on a zone defense.

“I just don’t want to be that guy,” he said before adding, “and maybe I will be.”

As he has done repeatedly this early season, Calipari asked fans to blame him and not the players for Kentucky’s defensive performance. He cited a false sense of confidence created during August exhibition games in the Bahamas.

“I got enamored like everybody else,” he said.

This echoed a theme Calipari hit on and returned to repeatedly on his weekly radio show Monday night.

“The issues we had in the Bahamas defensively I didn’t think were real issues,” he said Monday night. “And they were real issues.”

PJ Washington spoke confidently of Kentucky improving defensively. The Cats needed “just experience,” he said. “I feel like as the games go on, we’re going to get a lot better from what we were.

“For right now, we just need to keep the ball in front of us, and not let people get in the lane as easily as they are now.”

Teammate Quade Green said he took more pleasure in defense than offense. This attitude will be contagious, he said.

“I think everybody’s going to like defense more now . . . ,” he said. “We’re going to take it personal, now. Ever since the fourth game we had, we’re taking it personal.”

The fourth game was against VMI, which had Bubba Parham make 10 of 16 three-point shots and score 35 points.

If the numbers are to be believed, Monmouth (0-7) may not threaten Kentucky’s defense. On Tuesday the Hawks ranked No. 337 in scoring (60.6 ppg), No. 332 in shooting (37.8 percent), No. 340 in three-point baskets (4.7 per game) and No. 343 in three-point shooting accuracy (25.2 percent).

Not that Calipari dismissed the possibility of Kentucky’s defense making Monmouth a better scoring team.

“I know they can beat us,” he said. “If we don’t guard, anybody can beat us.”

Calipari reminded his radio audience that competition in the Southeastern Conference is looming.

“We’ve got to get this defense going soon because (in the SEC) we’ll have to score a hundred to stay in games,” he said.

Kentucky ranks No. 35 in scoring (84.5 ppg), first in rebound margin (plus 17.2) and 10th in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com.

“That’s why I say the offense is fine . . . ,” Calipari said. “It comes back to, ‘All right, let’s just keep stopping these people.’ It’s not our personality. We’re not there yet.”

“I’m getting a little frustrated. I want to have fun with this. . . . As we go through the grind of this, you’ve got to have fun with this.

For those needing reassurance, Calipari cited UK’s December schedule. After Saturday’s game against UNC Greensboro, the Cats play only once a week until a Jan. 8 mid-week game against Texas A&M.

“I don’t have time to do all the stuff we want to do, especially (when) we’re going backward defensively,” Calipari said. “So there are things we’re going to add the next couple weeks when . . . I’ve got time.”

Wednesday

Monmouth at No. 10 Kentucky

When: 8:30 p.m.

Records: Kentucky 5-1, Monmouth 0-7

Series: Kentucky leads 1-0

Last meeting: Kentucky won 93-76 on Dec. 9, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

This story was originally published November 27, 2018 at 3:54 PM.