Free-throw shooting has been a season-long struggle, but it powered UK’s upset of No. 5 Vols

For all the elements that fell into place for Kentucky’s potentially season-saving win at No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday afternoon — from Antonio Reeves’ 18 points to a bounce-back double-double from Oscar Tshiebwe — nothing mattered more than Kentucky’s efficiency from the foul line.

UK entered Saturday’s contest as one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the nation.

The Cats were shooting free throws at a 65.61% clip entering the game, a mark that ranked 312th in Division I.

Only two Wildcats were shooting better than 80% from the foul line, and only four Wildcats were shooting better than 70% from there.

But against Tennessee, Kentucky snapped back to a life as one projected in the preseason to be among the best free-throwing shooting teams in school history.

The Wildcats went 22-for-25 from the free-throw line Saturday, making 88% of their foul shots.

Unsurprisingly given UK’s struggles in this regard this season, this number of makes and the corresponding percentage both were season highs.

Four UK players: Reeves (8-for-8), Adou Thiero (4-for-4) and Chris Livingston and CJ Fredrick (both 2-for-2) had perfect free-throw shooting days.

UK’s showing from the foul line proved to be a significant advantage over Tennessee, as well: The Vols were just 7-for-10 on free throws, a 15-point swing in favor of the Wildcats.

This margin helped Kentucky account for Tennessee making five more field goals in the game, and it also allowed the Cats to record a rare win despite some offensive struggles. UK shot 18-for-51 (35.3%) from the field in the game.

Saturday was UK’s first win when shooting worse than 36% from the field since December 2017 (Georgia).

“The free throws at the end, that has been our Achilles’ heel,” UK head coach John Calipari said postgame. “But this was a great road win.”

Clutch free throws

Let’s dive a bit further into Kentucky’s late-game free-throw shooting in Knoxville and just how integral it was to the UK win.

Entering Saturday’s game, Kentucky had built a substantial sample size of free-throw shooting in clutch situations (games within six points or less at any point with three minutes or less to play, or in overtime).

This is what UK players had done in those situations before Saturday:

▪ Jacob Toppin: 7-for-8 (87.5%).

▪ Daimion Collins: 1-for-3 (33.3%).

▪ Cason Wallace: 2-for-6 (33.3%).

▪ Sahvir Wheeler: 1-for-4 (25%).

▪ Chris Livingston: 0-for-1 (0%).

▪ Kentucky as a team: 11-for-22 (50%).

The Wildcats entered Saturday shooting 50% from the foul line in clutch games, and two of the five players who had attempted a free-throw in these circumstances this season (Collins and Wheeler) didn’t play against the Vols due to injuries.

Despite this, the Wildcats went 5-for-6 (83.3%) on free throws in the final three minutes against Tennessee.

Tshiebwe split a pair, while Toppin and Reeves both made two free throws. All six of these attempts came with 31 seconds or less on the clock.

Those clutch points — along with stellar defense and a horrific three-point shooting day for Tennessee — allowed UK to emerge with a seven-point win even thought it failed to make a field goal in the final 3:48 of the game.

Kentucky’s clutch free-throw shooting leaderboard

Following UK’s road upset of No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday, here’s a look at what UK players have done from the foul line in clutch situations this season (again, games within six points or less at any point with three minutes or less to play, or in overtime).

In short, the Wildcats should get the ball to Reeves or Toppin during crunch time.

▪ Antonio Reeves: 2-for-2 (100%).

▪ Jacob Toppin: 9-for-10 (90%).

▪ Oscar Tshiebwe: 1-for-2 (50%).

▪ Cason Wallace: 2-for-6 (33.3%).

▪ Daimion Collins: 1-for-3 (33.3%).

▪ Sahvir Wheeler: 1-for-4 (25%).

▪ Chris Livingston: 0-for-1 (0%).

▪ Kentucky as a team: 16-for-28 (57.14%).

This story was originally published January 14, 2023 at 5:00 PM.

Cameron Drummond

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-242-5257

Cameron Drummond works as a sports reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a focus on Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting and the UK men’s basketball team, horse racing, soccer and other sports in Central Kentucky. Drummond is a second-generation American who was born and raised in Texas, before graduating from Indiana University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker who previously worked as a community news reporter in Austin, Texas. Support my work with a digital subscription