Like most of the college basketball world at this time, Kentucky isn't quite sure what to make of itself.

Could some answers be revealed Saturday when No. 3 Louisville visits Rupp Arena for the annual Bluegrass State rivalry game?

The No. 19 Wildcats (8-3) are reeling after back-to-back losses to Utah and Ohio State on a road trip to Las Vegas, but UK head coach John Calipari said Friday that his squad is closer to being a top team than some of its fans may realize.

"The games that we've lost have been by a couple buckets. I know it's devastation, and it's the worst," he said with a tinge of sarcasm. "(But) we're literally a couple of buckets -- all the games -- I mean, we could be 11-0. So now you say, 'Why?' Well, the finish of those games.

"You just think about it. All of the finishes, they get a great shot, we get bad looks, and we're more 'I'm going to get this myself.' We've got to get out of that. We've got to trust each other more... The shooting, I think will get better. I'm not concerned about that."

Kentucky has been one of the worst perimeter shooting teams in the nation early in the season, posting a Calipari-era low percentage of .278 to date. The Cats have made double-figure 3-pointers only once this season, hitting 10 in a Nov. 24 victory over Lamar. They've made no more than seven in any other game.

Of bigger concern to Calipari is the lack of good looks despite playing a three-guard lineup a majority of the time.

"We're still trying to figure it out," the UK boss said. "I had (the players) raise their hand. ‘How many of you think you’re playing good?’ I didn’t say great. Just good. One guy raised his hand... So, I said, ‘Think about if we can get guys to start playing better what we’ll be.’ That’s why I keep saying the upside of this team is tremendous, but they’re not there, which means I must be doing a crap job not getting them to play better."

The challenge doesn't get any easier against Louisville (11-1), which ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.350) and second in KenPom's defensive efficiency rankings. Six of the Cards' first 12 opponents have been held to 55 or fewer points.

"Louisville is good now," Calipari said. "... I'll tell you what they really do is defend. They really guard and give you tough looks."

The Cards come to town on a two-game winning streak since their lone defeat of the season, a 70-57 setback to Texas Tech on Dec. 10 at the Jimmy V Classic in New York.

Jordan Nwora, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, is one of the country's top offensive players. He comes into the game averaging 21.2 points. The Cards also have a rugged post player in 6-10, 255-pound senior Steven Enoch (11.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and dangerous wings in seniors Dwayne Sutton (9.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Ryan McMahon (9.8 ppg, 46.3% 3PFG).

"So it'll be a hard game for us," Calipari said. "I don't care where it's played. The good news for us, and I keep saying it, it's December. It's not a make or break. I know people want to say, 'This is it.' It isn't. It's December. It's the next game for us."

For their part, Kentucky's players don't seem to be treating the rivalry game much different than any other matchup. Graduate transfer forward Nate Sestina dismissed the notion of pressure to beat the Cards under the cloud of an otherwise mini two-game losing skid.

“I don’t know if there’s any pressure," he said. "We’re all competitors, so it’s more of a competitive thing than it is a pressure thing. Guys just want to win. That’s why we came here. This school speaks for itself and the guys who come here speak for themselves as well. They’re all winners and that’s really what they want to do.”