Purdue Fort Wayne @ Kentucky preview

Poor free-throw shooting, turnovers and mental lapses have Kentucky's John Calipari far less pleased with the current state of his team than most coaches in charge of 4-1 squads would typically be. Playing their third game in six days and for the sixth time in less than two weeks, the eighth-ranked Wildcats hope to put together their most complete performance of the season Wednesday when they host Fort Wayne.

"Defensively, you just don’t have letdowns when you’re up 21 (points) and you’re ready to bury somebody. And you just start acting like it doesn’t matter anymore," Calipari told the Lexington Herald Leader following Monday's 70-62 win over Troy. Kentucky, which is averaging 18.7 turnovers and shooting 53.6 percent from the foul line over its last three games, continued to frustrate its ninth-year coach as the Trojans scored 17 of the game's final 21 points after the Wildcats matched their largest lead of the contest with 8 1/2 minutes remaining. “I had to battle them too much in the second half and I’ve got to teach them how to win. If that game were closer, we lose that game," Calipari told the Herald Leader. The Mastodons have won three straight since a season-opening loss at Oakland and hope to knock off a college basketball blueblood for the second straight year after stunning then-No. 5 Indiana in overtime last November.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT FORT WAYNE (3-1): Leading scorer Bryson Scott (22 points per game) caught fire late in Saturday's victory, scoring 16 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, including 14 over the final 6:20 of the contest as the Mastodons ended the game on an 18-8 run. Guard John Konchar (11.3 points) leads the Summit League in rebounds (11.5) after pulling down a season-high 16 against the Flames and has 31 double-doubles in his career - only three active players in the nation have more. Junior sharpshooter Kason Harrell (12.8 points) uncharacteristically misfired on five of his six 3-point attempts Saturday, but his career 44.5 percentage beyond the arc ranks eighth among all active Division I players.

ABOUT KENTUCKY (4-1): Forward Kevin Knox (team-high marks of 15.4 points and 7.2 rebounds) has emerged as the early offensive leader for a team that features five freshmen starters, and he is the only Wildcat to finish in double figures in every game this season. Fellow freshman Hamidou Diallo (12.6 points) overcame a 3-for-12 performance from the field to grab a career-high 10 rebounds, helping the team enjoy a plus-23 margin on the glass versus the Trojans. First-year guard Quade Green (11.8) is averaging 17 points on 14-for-23 from the floor and 4-of-7 beyond the arc over his last two games after scoring 8.3 points on 8-of-22 from the field and 1-of-5 from long-range over his first three outings.

TIP-INS

1. Calipari is two wins away from becoming the 39th coach to record 700 for his career.

2. Wednesday will mark the one-year anniversary of the Mastodons' upset of the Hoosiers.

3. The Wildcats' 53 boards Monday were 13 more than their previous season high.

PREDICTION: Kentucky 73, Fort Wayne 62