Turns out, Kentucky basketball’s biggest problem is far from solved
We thought the problems were fixed. The problems weren’t fixed. Not permanently. A three-game win streak slammed into a Tuesday night wall. Alabama 85, Kentucky 65. In Rupp Arena. Three days after their best performance of the crazy 2020-21 season, the 18-point win at Florida, the Wildcats produced arguably their worst.
“Not one of our players played well,” John Calipari said afterward. “I obviously didn’t coach well.”
Winners of four straight, Alabama hit Rupp hot and stayed hot. Nate Oats’ team lives and dies by the three-point shot. It lived the high life Tuesday. The Tide was 10-of-22 from beyond the arc in the first half, 14-of-30 for the game. The 14 was the fourth-highest number of made three-pointers by an opponent in the Calipari era.
On the flip side, Kentucky missed 14 of its 18 three-point attempts. It was 1-of-8 from three in the second half. With a hat tip to Dontaie Allen, the Cats had shot surprisingly well from three-point territory their previous three games. The numbers: 22-of-47 for 46.8 percent. Those were the 3-0 SEC Cats. Tuesday brought a return of the 1-6 Cats.
Whenever we see Kentucky lose as it did to Alabama — and there have been a few of these of late — we hear familiar complaints. Why don’t the Cats play that way? Why don’t they push up-tempo? Why don’t they spread the floor, fire up three-pointers, play more of a modern-type, open-floor brand of basketball?
Truth is, that’s not the Calipari Way generally, and this team’s way specifically. And for good reason. Outside of Allen and, at times, Davion Mintz, this team has not shown the ability to consistently knock down perimeter shots. Eleven games is a sufficient sample size. And after 11 games, Kentucky is making 30.3 percent of its three-point shots. That ranks 267th out of the 346 Division I teams playing college basketball in this pandemic.
That won’t cut it. Not in today’s game. A quick survey of the past 10 national champions shows the 2011 Connecticut Huskies with the lowest three-point percentage at 32.9. Six of the 10 ranked among the nation’s top 40 in three-point percentage. That includes Kentucky’s 2012 champs, who shot 37.8 percent from three-point range, which ranked 37th that year.
“So if we took 25 and made six, how would that be,” Calipari said Tuesday, adding, “Four-for-18 from three means, yeah, maybe you’re not a three-point shooting team, but that’s OK.”
Indeed, there is more than one way to win a basketball game. Calipari said UK needed to work the ball inside, but failed to do so because of too many turnovers. The Cats turned it over 19 times. They were credited with only seven assists. Olivier Sarr took four shots.
Calipari’s accompanying point was that his team failed to defend the three-pointer, as well. And when Kentucky defenders pressured Alabama players at the three-point line, the Tide merely drove around the defenders for buckets. Alabama converted all three of its old-fashioned three-point opportunities in the second half. All three came off drives.
“Let me ask you,” Calipari said, “did we have anybody that could stay in front of anybody? I don’t know. I mean, didn’t look like it.”
Can’t shoot the three. Can’t guard the three. That’s a bad place to be.
A big-picture debate of Calipari’s recruiting philosophy is best saved for season’s end. As for this season, however, Tuesday could have been a solo act of aberration, a burn-the-tape game influenced by the news of the tragic death of former teammate Ben Jordan and the negative reaction from some to the team’s kneeling for the national anthem last Saturday at Florida.
More likely, however, Tuesday was further exposure of this team’s deficiencies — problems we prematurely believed to be solved.
“What I told them after (the game) is I’m going to find five guys that will fight,” Calipari said, “and that’s who I’ll play.”
It would be helpful if a few of those five could make some shots.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Turns out, Kentucky basketball’s biggest problem is far from solved."
