UK’s ‘best shooter’ so far? Calipari says it might be Nick Richards.
After Kentucky’s 82-74 victory over Utah Valley on Monday night, John Calipari went big in praise of Nick Richards.
“Nick may not be a three-point shooter,” the UK coach said, “but he may be — are you ready for this, folks? — our best shooter.”
When told of Calipari’s comment, Richards demurred.
“Nah, nah, nah,” he said with a smile. “Don’t listen to him.”
Being called Kentucky’s best shooter this night sounded like saluting the best surfer in Nebraska. There wasn’t a lot of competition in a game UK made one of 12 three-point shots, and had one fewer field goal than Utah Valley.
But Richards, who made eight of 11 shots, looked comfortable posting up for baskets. He also faced up and hit mid-range shots.
“It’s something I’ve been working on in practice … ,” he said of the face-up game. “It’s a matter of time before (the shots) start going down.”
Richards finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. That was his second double-double in three games, and only the third of his career.
Richards lamented blocking only one shot. “That’s something I’m kind of mad about,” he said.
Of Richards’ play, Nate Sestina said, “Nick was a monster.”
Sestina, who did a bit of roaring himself with a game-high 12 rebounds, added, “he was making shots. He worked his butt off the last week, especially after Evansville. The jump shots he made today he made all of them during the walk-through and shoot-around.”
Sestina attributed Richards’ big-scoring game to a case of feeding the hot hand.
“We’re all about that,” Sestina said. “If one guy’s going, we’ve got to keep going to him.”
Ashton Hagans, who led UK with a career-high 26 points, lived by that credo. Several of his six assists came on lobs or passes that Richards converted.
“He’s my ‘big,’ and I’m his point guard,” Hagans said. “And I’m going to do whatever it takes to get him going. For this team to be at its best, we’re going to need Nick every night. We’re just going to force-feed him and just let him go to work.”
Injury update
The number of Kentucky players sidelined by injury continued to grow. Immanuel Quickley, who was UK’s second-leading scorer (14.0 per game) and co-leader in getting to the foul line (20 free-throw attempts), did not play.
Calipari said Quickley got hurt on the last play of Sunday’s practice.
“And he’s one that if he could have played, he would have,” Calipari said. “No question.”
UK missed Quickley, Sestina said. Sestina called Quickley “a huge energy guy.”
UK also played without EJ Montgomery for a third straight game.
“We’ve got to get those guys back and get going because Nick played too many minutes,” Calipari said. So did Sestina, the UK coach said. The players’ efficiency suffered because of the amount they played.
Richards played seven seconds less than 35 minutes. Sestina played a season-high 34 minutes and 10 seconds.
‘It’s dangerous’
Through four games, UK has made 13 of 61 three-point shots. That is 21.1% accuracy.
When asked if the longer three-point distance this season contributed to UK’s misfiring, Calipari said, “Doesn’t seem like anybody else is having a problem with it.”
UK’s opponents aren’t blistering the nets. Opponents have made 33 of 120 three-point shots (27.5%).
Opponents have averaged 8.3 three-point baskets. Through four games, UK is averaging 3.3 three-pointers.
“It’s dangerous,” Hagans said. “You don’t hit threes, and the other team is hitting, you might be in trouble that night.”
Long-term favorites
Stats maven Ken Pomeroy ranked Utah Valley at No. 201. To put that in perspective, UK’s next four opponents have an average rating of No. 227.3, according to Pomeroy’s calculations.
That’s Mount St. Mary’s (No. 262), Lamar (267), UAB (149) and Fairleigh Dickinson (231).
Kentucky, which was No. 5, had a 99% chance to beat Utah Valley, Mount St. Mary’s, Lamar and Fairleigh Dickinson, according to Pomeroy. UK has “only” a 97% chance to beat UAB.
Vs. No. 1
Utah Valley’s all-time record against ranked teams fell to 0-10. The previous nine losses were all by double-digit margins.
Before Monday night, Utah Valley’s closest game against a ranked opponent also came in Rupp Arena. Then-No. 5 Kentucky beat the Wolverines 73-63 loss on Nov. 10, 2017.
Streaking
Utah Valley’s 11-for-31 shooting from three-point range extended the program’s active streak of making at least one shot from beyond the arc to 137 straight games. The last time the Wolverines failed to make a three-point shot was at Seattle on Feb. 7, 2015.
Kentucky barely extended its active streak of making a three-point shot to 43 games. That streak began after UK failed to make one against Davidson in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. That marked the first time UK had not made a three since the third game of the 1988-89 season.
Next game
Mount St. Mary’s (Md.) at No. 9 Kentucky
7 p.m. Friday (SEC Network)
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 12:05 AM.
