On the surface, it looks as if Kentucky is in a shooting slump.
The Cats, ranked No. 16 in the nation, have made 20 percent of their three-point shots over the past four games.
Kentucky's three top shooting guards — Carly Morrow, Rebecca Gray and Keyla Snowden — have gone a combined 10-for-42 in that span.
But UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said the Cats' shooters are just fine.
It's the team's shot selection that has to get better.
"We're relying too much on three-point shots," he said, noting the 29 UK attempted (making seven) in a win over Georgia recently. "We took some terrible three-point shots — bad, bad decisions."
The coach says the Cats, who had their eight-game win streak snapped in a loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday, are settling for the first look they get on the perimeter.
He sees it especially against zone defenses, which UK faces regularly in the Southeastern Conference.
"We need to exercise some patience," Mitchell said in his news conference before UK's home game against Florida on Thursday night. "We've tried to talk to them about what's a good look and what's not."
A good outside shot for Kentucky is when the ball already has gone inside via guard penetration or a pass to forwards Victoria Dunlap or Amani Franklin.
"If it comes out of the paint to you, that's a good three-point shot," he told his team.
Against Vanderbilt's aggressive zone, UK scored a season-low 55 points. The Cats missed all but one of their 14 attempts from outside.
Mitchell took the blame for not getting his team as prepared for that zone as it should have been.
"We have to do better at attacking it," he said. "I don't think we attacked very well. We became passers."
Morrow, the starting shooting guard, agreed with her coach. She hasn't made a three-pointer in the past three games, and she's made one of her 17 tries in the past four games.
"I'm taking a lot of bad shots," she said. "I'm taking a lot of quick threes, early threes that aren't good for us on the offense."
But Mitchell said he hasn't lost faith in the junior, who has hit a team-high 33 three-pointers this season. He noted that she hit big shots in road wins at Mississippi State and Louisiana State.
Gray, who has made 40 percent of her three-pointers this season off the bench, said when the ball does come out, UK's shooters have to be ready.
"It's about having confidence in yourself and knowing you can hit the shot," Gray said. "When you get in there, you have to know it's going in."
Mitchell said the three-point shooting woes aren't just about the player taking the shot.
He said freshman A'dia Mathies needs to get in the lane more and penetrate the zone. Dunlap needs to do a better job finishing when she gets the ball inside.
"If our inside play picks up, that will help the three-point shot," he said.
Gray agreed.
"We've got to be able to spread the floor," the former Scott County star said. "We're a big part of (the offense), and we're definitely an important part of us getting far in the tournament."
As the season goes on, other schools have seen film of every game your team has played, he said.
It makes it harder for every player on the team to get a good look at the basket.
After making 33.6 percent of its outside shots in non-conference games, UK is now making 27.9 percent from three-point range in the SEC (10th out of 12 teams).
"They start scheming to shut you down," he said. "It gets tougher and tougher and tougher in the conference season."
So UK will just have to work harder and smarter, he said.
Thinking pink
Thursday's game against Florida is UK's annual Women's Basketball Coaches' Association Pink Zone game.
The Cats will be clad in pink uniforms, and all fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game, which starts at 7 p.m. at Memorial Coliseum. A dollar from every single-game ticket sold will go to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.
UK's uniforms will be auctioned off online at www.ukteamshop.com to benefit the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund as will Coach Mitchell's tie. The auction began Monday and ends Friday.
