After falling behind 11-0 in Rupp Arena on Wednesday against 25-point underdog Columbia, Kentucky basketball fans and Wildcats coach John Calipari almost hit the fire alarm.

A panic fog in the building didn’t completely lift until the final few minutes. It was justifiable, too.

The No. 1 ranked Wildcats eventually escaped 56-46 to extend their record to 10-0 in advance of Saturday’s arrival from 6-2 North Carolina (noon, WRAL), but another generally poor shooting performance created a sense of mortality among the players and fans that hadn’t surfaced earlier.

Kentucky was without injured regulars Devin Booker, a 6-foot-6 freshman who averages 8.4 points, and rookie playmaker sub Tyler Ulis, who are both likely to return for the game against Carolina.

But for a team with great talent, Kentucky not yet has been displayed great shooting ability even though only one game has been played on the road.

“The crazy thing is we got good shooters,” Calipari told reporters after the game Wednesday. “We're a good shooting team that's not making shots.”

It remains to be seen whether the Wildcats are hands-down the best team in the country or even if they’re the best team right now. UNC should be able to add some clarity on both questions even though Kentucky will be a solid favorite.

But one thing is fairly certain about Kentucky thus far: No team in the country has played better defense during the early season. So dominant has been the team’s defense that opponents are shooting only 28 percent. Kansas was limited to 19.6 percent shooting in a 72-40 Kentucky rout on Nov. 18 in Indianapolis.

Texas couldn’t do much in a 63-51 loss to the Cats on Dec. 5. The Longhorns missed more than 70 percent of their shots and committed 23 turnovers. Kentucky junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein, alone, had six steals and blocked three Texas shots. No opponent yet has been able to shoot above than 38.5 percent, and that was Boston University in a 89-65 loss on Nov. 21 in Lexington.

“Thank goodness for that. We are a terrific defensive team,” Calipari said Wednesday.

That defense almost certainly will be the biggest problem for the Tar Heels on Saturday. Carolina has played a more aggressive, more diverse early schedule than Kentucky, but shooting has been just as much of a challenge for the Heels, too.

Junior Marcus Paige, the preseason pick for ACC player of the year, has missed 33 of 93 field-goal attempts thus far. Sophomore Nate Britt has missed 22 of 36 and a couple of freshmen – Theo Pinson and Joel Berry – have shot a combined 16-for-50.

None of these shooting problems were an overriding concern in either camp entering the season. Roy Williams was reasonably confident the addition of the freshmen, coupled with Britt’s year of experience, would improve perimeter production.

Calipari, whose team went all the way to the NCAA title game before losing to Connecticut last season, was more worried about sorting through 10-12 high-profile players to develop a workable rotation. He’s succeeded to a large degree on that front by liberally spreading court time.

Even with some injuries, seven Kentucky players have played in each game. Only Cauley-Stein is averaging double-digit scoring at 10.3 points per game, but seven others are averaging from 5.1 to 9.8 points per game.

Carolina’s overall shooting was impressive (60 percent) in its last game – a 108-64 rout of ECU on Sunday in Chapel Hill – but Paige still missed five of eight and the perimeter players missed six of seven 3-point attempts.

But by the same token, Carolina’s defense has been far above average, too. The eight opponents thus far have shot only 33.5 percent, so it’s probably not much of a stretch to assume that both teams will struggle to clear the 40 percent barrier Saturday.

Game Notes

Kentucky and UNC have met 36 times – the Heels lead the series 23-13, including an 82-77 win a year ago in Chapel Hill. The two programs are Nos. 1 and 3 in all-time wins, with Kentucky at 2,150 and UNC at 2,120 to sandwich No. 2 Kansas (2,133).

If the Heels manage the upset, it will be the 14th all-time UNC win over a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll, including one over Michigan State last season.

Williams enters the game with an overall 730-191 coaching record and 312-90 at Carolina. Calipari is 565-174 in college after having gone 72-112 in 2-plus NBA seasons. At Kentucky, he’s 162-37.