John Calipari has to make 3-point shooting a focal point

The Kentucky Wildcats dropped their second game of the season against the Utah Utes last night. It was brutal as Kentucky got out to a slow start and trailed the majority of the game down double figures.

The Wildcats stormed back and tied the game at 66. However, the team, down the stretch, shot and missed numerous threes. It was rough to watch as Kentucky just couldn’t convert from deep.

This game wouldn’t have been close had Kentucky been even average from downtown. The Cats were 2-for-17 from three-point range. This was the team’s fourth performance in which they failed to shoot 20% from downtown.

Against the Utes, it was Immanuel Quickley, Tyrese Maxey, and Keion Brooks Jr. who combined to go 0-for-10 from deep. The team’s three-point shooting just hasn’t been up to par, and it’s a huge reason for the team’s multiple losses.

Calipari must start to prioritize better three-point shooting.

They’ve shot over 30% in five of their ten games this season. Following the game against Utah, Calipari said that he doesn’t have the answer to the team’s shooting woes according to Kentucky.com.

They also noted that Calipari said multiple times the team must make more threes. They’ve made more than five threes in just three of their games, and it’s been a key reason that lesser quality teams have stuck around in games.

Running Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery may give them size on the boards, but it’s also limited their spacing. It’ll be interesting if, in this push towards more three-point shooting, Cal decides to run the two bigs together less often.

The Wildcats must get better at numerous things, including three-point shooting, before SEC play begins.