By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

It seems a distant memory now that those "SuffoCat" T-shirts are in vogue. But in early January, Kentucky coach Tubby Smith told his team it was the worst defensive group he had ever coached.

The Wildcats were retreating into a zone, akin to surrender for the defensive-minded coach. A swarming style, not to mention the No. 1 ranking, seemed a pipe dream.

And now . . .

"They're as good defensively as any team that I can remember ever playing against in college basketball, both as a player and coach," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said.

To begin NCAA Tournament play against IUPUI, UK (29-3) returns Friday to Nashville, which could be called the scene of the crime. It was there Jan. 14 that UK had 12 steals in a punishing second-half performance against Vanderbilt, the clear turning point of the season.

In a legendary halftime tirade, Smith gave his team a tongue-lashing, and UK's seniors spoke up and told their teammates to bear down. Switching to an aggressive man-to-man, UK would force 13 turnovers and hold the Commodores to 4-of-17 shooting in the second half, outscoring them 46-16.

"After that game, guys realized what we had to do to win games," senior center Marquis Estill said. "Defense is the key."

At halftime that night, UK had to that point in the season allowed opponents to shoot 43.6 percent overall and 36.6 percent on 3-pointers - on pace to be the worst figures in 11 and 13 years, respectively. It was allowing 70.3 points a game.

Since then, Wildcat opponents have shot just 39.1 percent overall and 28.9 percent on 3-pointers, averaging 59.2 points.

Those numbers are more in line with what UK did under Smith in the 1998 championship season, when it allowed just 38.4 percent shooting. Employing Smith's "ball-line set," UK has finished in the top three in the Southeastern Conference in defensive field goal percentage in all six of his seasons.

"This is the defense we've always played," Smith said last month. "But when you get the right personnel and the right chemistry and then the guys buy in and believe . . ."

You can win 23 in a row.

"You can play defense when you can't do much of anything else," Smith said. "It's about heart and desire and just a want-to. These kids understand now that our defense is creating a lot of our offense."

UK emphasizes intelligence, communication and speed to challenge shots. Players can overplay the passing lanes, gambling for steals, because a teammate can recover quickly if a ballhandler drives past.

Speedy guards Keith Bogans, Gerald Fitch and Cliff Hawkins extend their pressure nearly to midcourt. Agile forwards Chuck Hayes and Erik Daniels are the first line of defense to help and recover. Centers Estill and Jules Camara are the shot-blocking safeties.

"They're very sound as a group," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "Fitch, Bogans, Daniels and Hayes - you can throw Camara in there - can guard five different positions on the floor. ... They do a terrific job of constantly rotating."

Of rotating, Hayes has said: "It becomes a routine. When someone gets beat, you close on the guy. You make them score over two people instead of one."

UK benefited greatly from the return of the ballhawking Hawkins and also from shortening its rotation around Christmas.

Smith played up the Super Bowl result to his players, how Tampa Bay's top-ranked defense throttled Oakland's top-ranked offense.

"Coach tells us all the time, great defense beats a great offense every time," Hawkins said. "We don't have to play a great, great basketball game. When we play solid defense, we know we have a chance to win."

E-mail nschmidt@enquirer.com