On Sunday, I watched nERD (our in-house metric that estimates a team's score differential against a league-average team on a neutral court) of 16.85. Villanova's proficiency on defense has surely helped them climb the rankings. The Wildcats do a pretty good job of turning over their opponents, as they rank 71st in the nation in turnovers forced and 44th in steals.

However, the Wildcats allow their opponents to shoot over 41% from the field, and therefore give up over 60 points per game to their opponents -- which shouldn't happen. Villanova's schedule hasn't been all that tough. They've only played one current AP top 25 team (Tony Bennett and his father's pack line defense doesn't call for ball denial. On the contrary, it's all about filling gaps, keeping the offense in front of you and forcing the opposing team into contested jumpers. It's team defense at its very best.

1. Kentucky Wildcats

Defense Percentile: 100%

After reading that last line, you may be wondering, "How's that team defense at its very best if they're second?" Well, what Virginia does with great team defense, Kentucky makes up for with size and athleticism. It's not all about players defending as a collective within the system, but it's about being possibly the best players and athletes in the country. Kentucky's average height of players playing 13-plus minutes per game is 6'8" -- and that's 10 players deep. Compare that to Virginia's average of 6'6" with only 7 players.

That's why the Wildcats are second in the nation in blocked shots and first in opponent field goal percentage (32.9%). But not only do they alter shots, Kentucky's defenders can pressure the ball as well. They're 58th in steals and 27th in forced turnovers. So you shouldn't be caught off guard when I tell you that Kentucky is second in points against per game and boast the nation's best Adjusted Defensive Rating, with a rating of 82.1.

Kentucky's length and athleticism is what makes them the single best defense in the country. But it's very interesting to see how each team excels as a defensive unit. It shows that there's so many different methods for becoming a top-10 defense in college basketball -- and that's what makes the sport so great.