The No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats established themselves as a powerhouse with a 72-40 win over the formerly fifth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks at the beginning of the year. Now they stand atop an impressive top-five that includes the Duke Blue Devils, Wisconsin Badgers, Arizona Wildcats, and Gonzaga Bulldogs.
However, there is a lot of basketball left to play and all five teams have weaknesses that could end up leading them to sliding in the AP rankings. Here is a quick look at the biggest weaknesses of the teams ranked in the top-five.
#1 Kentucky Wildcats (7-0)
Biggest Weakness: Defensive Rebounding
With seven straight wins by double-digit margins it’s hard to find anything wrong with this Kentucky team, but if there is one weakness to point out it is their defensive rebounding. The Wildcats have allowed a ridiculous 84 offensive rebounds through seven games for an average of almost 12 offensive rebounds allowed per game.
That’s still not an awful mark but, considering they have given up those rebounds against smaller and inferior opponents, it could become a bigger problem later on in the year when they play better teams. There aren’t many holes in this Kentucky team, but defensive rebounding is one potential weakness that the Wildcats can definitely stand to improve on.
#2 Wisconsin Badgers (7-1)
Biggest Weakness: Defense
The Badgers defensive weaknesses were on full display against Duke as they allowed them to shoot 65 percent from the field while averaging a ridiculous 1.31 points per possession. The 65 percent shooting mark was the third highest allowed by any top-five team in the last 15 seasons of college basketball action and the highest mark given up by any top-five team at home. Wisconsin is a very good team but its biggest weakness was exposed by the Blue Devils.
#3 Arizona Wildcats (7-0)
Biggest Weakness: Turnovers
Arizona grinded out wins over Kansas State and San Diego State but their biggest weakness might be apparent when they clash with Gonzaga this weekend. The Wildcats have found ways to win games but they have to do a much better job of avoiding the reckless turnovers that could have cost them against better opponents early on this season. Arizona turned the ball over 27 times in its win over Southern Mississippi and has averaged 15.7 turnovers per game this season. The Wildcats have been able to overcome their mistakes early on this year. However, they won’t be able to get away with the constant turnovers when they go up against better teams later in the season.
#4 Duke Blue Devils (8-0)
Biggest Weakness: Depth Up Front
Duke has beaten up on the seven inferior opponents including an 80-70 win over Wisconsin on Wednesday. The Blue Devils are averaging 89.1 points per game for the fourth-best scoring average in the country and they are doing an excellent job of spreading the ball around and finding the open looks every game.
As mentioned, Duke shot 65 percent against the Badgers and their efficiency numbers were off the charts. If there is one weakness to point out for this Blue Devils team, it could be their lack of big men depth beyond Jahlil Okafor and Marshall Plumlee, but even that shouldn’t be considered a major problem.
#5 Louisville Cardinals (6-0)
Biggest Weakness: Field Goal Percentage
The Cardinals are 6-0, they rank second in the nation with an average of 48.3 rebounds per game, and head coach Rick Pitino still thinks his team is far from reaching its ceiling. Pitino talked openly about his concerns with the team’s rebounding ability before the year but that clearly hasn’t been a weakness. Instead, he is probably much more concerned about Louisville’s .424 shooting percentage, which ranks 210th in the nation.
The Cardinals shot just 35-percent from the field in their 64-55 win over Ohio State but they will have to find a way to do a better job of creating open looks and improving their efficiency numbers if they are going to get it one against better opponents this season.
