John Calipari is not worried about Kellan Grady or Kentucky's shooting

Kentucky shot a season-low 10% (2-20) from three-point range today, with zero makes from their two best outside shooters, Kellan Grady and Davion Mintz. Grady was 0-5 from three today, Mintz 0-3. Over the last six games, Grady is shooting 21.7% (5-23) from three, almost half his season average of 42.6%. Despite the slump, John Calipari wanted the ball in Grady’s hands at the end of the game during Kentucky’s late comeback.

“Who did I get the last shot for that I thought could close the gap? [Reporter: ‘Kellan’] I’m surprised somebody didn’t ask me, why would you do that? Because I really believe in him. And even when he’s playing that way, I believe in him. And I told him, why do you think I did that? ‘Because you believe in me.’ Sometimes more than you’re believing in yourself because you missed two and you think, ‘I’m going to miss ten.'”

“Davion does the same thing. I was all over Davion. Just shoot the ball. Jacob, just shoot it. They were 1-16 amongst them. We were 2-20. Folks, we could have won this game. Think about what I’m saying. You could say, well, we may have been 2-25 or those guys may have been 1-19 if they shoot more but I still want them to shoot more.”

Keion Brooks was one of the few Wildcats to find the basket regularly in the 69-62 loss to Tennessee, going 7-11 from the field and 4-4 from the free-throw line for 19 points. He said the irons were simply unkind to Grady and Toppin today, pointing out the number of shots that rimmed out.

“I feel like the looks that we got were good. It was just one of those days where the ball didn’t go in for us. There were some situations where we didn’t help each other out with getting open to get some of those shots, and sometimes we weren’t shot-ready when the ball was kicked out so us. I think for the most part, we got a lot of good looks. And Kellan had some shots that rimmed in and out. Jacob [Toppin] and his pull-ups and 15-footers, shots that he never missed, went in and out. A lot of shots like that that didn’t go our way tonight, but sometimes that happens, but you just have to continue to fight through it, and we still had a chance to win even with all that.”

Oscar Tshiebwe, who was limited by foul trouble, called Toppin out for not shooting enough, pointing out that even if it misses, he or someone else will be under the basket to rebound it.

“We had a couple of players that did not want to shoot when they were open. Like Jacob, he always makes those 15, 17 footers, but the coaches say you have to shoot them. I’m down there fighting for rebounds. He miss. I probably have 50/50 chance to get the rebound. They just have to shoot the ball when they’re open. You have do the things that is going to help us.”

“Oscar’s right,” Calipari said. “If you shoot it and you miss it, we have a beast standing under the basket. Just shoot it. If you’re anywhere near my bench, if someone on my team ever says, well he takes me out every time I miss a shot. Look, you’re a liar. I’m right there. You lied. You need to ask for forgiveness. He tells you to shoot it and you don’t shoot it. Don’t say he takes you out for misses.”

Let’s hope the Cats got all of their bad shooting out of the way now for a red-hot run in the tournament that matters.