Kentucky’s shooting woes in Nashville were impossible to ignore. The Wildcats were knocked out of the SEC Tournament by the Florida Gators after posting ugly splits of 36/22/80, going just 17-of-66 (25.7%) from three over three games. Even the team’s top shooters struggled: Mo Dioubate (2-4) and Brandon Garrison (2-3) actually outshot Collin Chandler (4-11), Denzel Aberdeen (4-14), and Otega Oweh (2-12) in Nashville. The trio combined for just 10-of-37 from deep — a painful 27% hit rate.
Across 34 games this season, Kentucky is shooting 34.1% on 3-pointers (No. 178 nationally), making just 8.1 per game on 23.7 attempts (No. 154). After starting the season as the SEC’s top perimeter shooting team, the Wildcats cooled off significantly down the stretch.
Still, Mark Pope isn’t panicking. He believes the team’s shooting struggles are temporary and expects a rebound in the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis.
“Shooting is just what it is, it comes and goes. We’re a good 3-point shooting team,” Pope said. “We were number one, I think (we’re) probably at three or four, five or something now in the top half of the league. I think we’ll make shots in the NCAA Tournament.”
Pope also pointed to lineup instability and injuries as major factors in the team’s inconsistency. “We haven’t had the opportunity to be the team that we originally planned to be, where we were distributing the ball and playing with the pace that we had planned to last summer, just because of the diminishing roster,” he explained. “With that said, we still have guys that are shooting at an elite clip, and it still makes us really dangerous.”
Statistically, Kentucky shines when its perimeter shots fall. The Wildcats are 11-3 when making at least nine 3-pointers in a game and 9-2 when hitting ten or more. Replicating that success in St. Louis could be the key to advancing past the opening weekend of March Madness.
One thing is clear: Kentucky doesn’t need to torch the nets to win — but they can’t afford to stay ice-cold either. The Wildcats’ path forward depends on a return to form from their shooters and some stability on the floor. If that happens, Pope’s team could quickly shift from early exit concern to serious contender.
