“But if you really go at ’em in the summer, is that gonna take away at the end?” he said. “That’ll be something we gotta keep an eye on.”

Calipari said there could also be staff personnel changes. Kentucky didn’t show much improvement from November to March, making the same defensive mistakes at the end of the season that they were making at the beginning. Was that an overreliance on freshmen who were ill-equipped to handle the responsibility? Or the principles that UK’s coaches were trying to teach not getting through? Probably some of both.

Of course, the players on the court will matter most when the 2024-25 season begins, and Calipari has already said he plans to scour the transfer portal for defensive-minded additions this offseason.

“We gotta say, ‘Here’s what we’re doing going forward.’ Can we get back to that defensively? How do you get back to that?” he said Monday night. “Some of it is, you gotta change people. Some of it is, when you’re talking the portal — is that what we need? This guy or that guy? The other side of it is — what do you do in the summer?”

Will UK have defenders on its 2024-25 roster?

The stay-or-go decisions that the current Wildcats make in the coming weeks will, at least partially, dictate what kind of players Calipari prioritizes in the portal this spring.

Sophomore guard Adou Thiero — 6-foot-8, possibly still growing and a superb athlete — would be an ideal returnee. Thiero, more than anyone on this past season’s team, was willing to initiate contact, even with much bigger opponents. His physical play often set the tone and energized his teammates. He now has two years of experience in Calipari-run practices. That could be invaluable if it’s another group of mostly new faces.

Freshman point guard D.J. Wagner proved to be a relentless on-ball defender — even if he did get beat off the dribble at times — and is another possible returnee who can play physically. The youngest player on the team, another offseason should only benefit him there.

If Calipari can get even one of his three 7-footers — Aaron Bradshaw, Zvonimir Ivisic or Ugonna Onyenso — to return, it should be a plus defensively. None were particularly physical — especially Bradshaw and Ivisic — but they all have potentially elite shot-blocking skills and could be complementary defensive players to others with more bulk and strength.

Obviously, Sheppard’s return would be welcomed for many reasons. He’s not overly physical either, but his defensive instincts (2.5 steals per game as a freshman) would be a huge addition to next season’s roster. It will be difficult for the Kentucky native to turn down the NBA draft this offseason, but — until a final decision is announced — fans (and coaches) will continue to dream.

Calipari has six high school recruits coming in, but not much should be expected there from a defensive or physicality perspective. Of that bunch, New Jersey star Billy Richmond — a 6-5 shooting guard — is best equipped to make an impact defensively.

Others project as highly competitive players, but it would be a stretch to expect an above-average defensive impact at their positions. Somto Cyril — a 6-10, 252-pound center with a 7-7 wingspan — is physically imposing, but his overall game needs refinement and he’ll likely need more work to transition his shot-blocking and rebounding skills to the college level while keeping fouls down.

While getting Thiero and some others back would help — Jordan Burks is another freshman who showed fight in year one — Calipari’s biggest defensive difference-makers could come via the transfer portal.

UK has already made contact with Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi, a 6-10, 240-pound player with four years of Big Ten experience. Omoruyi was a Kentucky target as a high school recruit and averaged 2.9 blocked shots and 8.3 rebounds per game as a senior this past season. He’s certainly the type of player that could bolster the Wildcats’ physicality.

While it’s next to impossible to acquire sure-thing, NBA-level talent in the portal — those types of players enter the draft and stay there — there are high-level defenders to be found, at all positions. And Calipari will need at least one or two (or more) to get where he wants to go.

Throughout Monday night’s radio show finale, Calipari stressed that he didn’t want to get away from the electric offense that defined his team this season. He said he enjoyed coaching that style, and he acknowledged that the fans loved it.

“So, I don’t want to change that. But I know — and I’ve always known — that your defense steadies you when you’re not making shots. Or you get a little anxious. And you’re turning it (over). You’re missing shots you don’t usually (miss). Your defense settles you. …

“We gotta get back to that.”

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