Ed. Note: This is the column I wrote for the newspaper following the UK/U of L game. I feel that it still sticks. I honestly don’t know what is with this team.

LOUISVILLE — UK needs a third scoring option.

Or the Cats need to learn how to handle the ball in order to stop committing so many turnovers. Maybe tougher defense would be the solution.

But honestly, none of that may be the solution. This UK squad is an absolute enigma.

No one can have the final say on a UK team that has only played two road games —one a blowout loss to North Carolina in the second game of the season, and the other being Sunday’s three-point loss to Louisville. What judgment could be made on a team that committed 21 turnovers but came within seconds of forcing overtime in a game they had no business being in?

Let’s say junior guard Michael Porter is the answer. Porter played 33 minutes of error-free basketball, never turning the ball over once. As a point guard, coaches expect more than one assist. Porter only had one Sunday, but has anyone really expected Porter to be able to lead UK this season anyway?

Or maybe Perry Stevenson and Ramon Harris should increase their scoring, like they did to finish last season. Stevenson had seven points and six rebounds. Harris has been plagued by various injuries. But a third option means Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks don’t score in the 20s every game. UK’s offense just isn’t designed for three people to get 20 points unless it’s a blowout.

“Sometimes when you have several guys playing well we know what guys are suppose to do what,” Gillispie said. “But we need to expand that to seven or eight guys. It’s not that they don’t know what to do, it’s just they have to expand.”

But does Gillispie want more production from his bench? Of course, it’s just not the magic answer.

“If you have two getting 22, 24 then I’ll take six or eight from the rest,” Gillispie said. “Instead of developing one guy and not the rest.”

Limiting turnovers would be a good start. But despite 21 turnovers, UK almost knocked off the No. 18 Cardinals at home. UK is going to turn the ball over this year. That seemingly is the biggest fact of Gillispie’s second year. Not because Gillispie can’t teach ball-handling skills, but because what experience do the Cats have? And despite the excessive turnovers, UK still wins or at least puts itself in position to win.

Maybe it’s the defense? Louisville shot plenty of open 3-pointers, and Gillispie pointed to his team’s lack of transition defense as part of the reason for the loss. But overall, UK plays defense. The Cats are third in the nation in blocked shots per game. Darius Miller, Porter and Harris are seen as defensive stoppers.

Simply put, there is no magic potion for this team. Not the words anyone wants to hear going into Southeastern Conference play, but it’s the truth. This squad is good enough to play with top-25 teams — that much has been shown. They have one of, if not the best, one-two punches in the nation. And the play of UK’s support players — Porter, Stevenson, etc. — has been exactly what should be expected.

Anyone who says they have the key to UK should be met with the same hesitance as working on mortgages with IndyMac.

Sunday’s loss comes down to one fact: The UK-UofL matchup is unlike any other in college basketball. There is no special meaning to UK’s fourth loss of the season. The Cats were just beat by a team that played better with a career night from a hot-and-cold opposing point guard. After the game, Gillispie made the point that it wasn’t just one player that lit up the Cats. It was a team effort. Louisville head coach Rick Pitino praised the Cats in the loss, saying he liked the way UK plays basketball under Gillispie.

“They know what to do. They take high-percentage shots. The key to playing Kentucky is to pressure the ball,” Pitino said. “If you don’t, all of your guys will foul out.”

UK has the same team effort that the Cardinals used to beat them. The Cats have the pieces in place. All that waits is for all that to finally click and make sense. When it does, UK will be a top-25 team again. Until it does, they’ll stay an enigma.