By the Numbers: Kentucky Basketball through 15 games

After 15 games, what do we know about this Kentucky Basketball team? They’re 12-3, 2-1 in the SEC. Oscar Tshiebwe is an elite rebounder, Sahvir Wheeler is an elite ball-handler, Kellan Grady is an elite shooter, and TyTy Washington is, well, just elite. Also, they’ve yet to win a true road game. While we wait for the Cats to fix that last one, let’s dip into the stats to get a better perspective on the 2021-22 Wildcats.

1. Oscar Tshiebwe still No. 1 in rebounding

No surprise here, but Oscar Tshiebwe still leads the country in almost every rebounding category. He is No. 1 in rebounds per game (15.2), offensive rebounds per game (5.5), offensive rebounding percentage (22.1%), and defensive rebounding percentage (36.0%). He’s second in the country in defensive rebounds per game (9.7) and double-doubles (11).

On the offensive side, Oscar leads Kentucky in scoring with 16.1 points per game. According to analytics guru Evan Miyakawa, if Oscar keeps up his current pace, he’ll be the only player ever in the modern era (post-1985) to average at least 15 points and 15 boards per game. Currently, he is fourth in the country in BPR (Bayesian Performance Rating), which measures overall player impact. He’s still No. 2 in KenPom‘s Player of the Year standings behind Ohio State’s EJ Liddell.

2. The best backcourt in the SEC

Oscar isn’t the only Wildcat in the national ranks. Sahvir Wheeler leads the SEC and ranks third nationally in assists per game (7.3). TyTy Washington isn’t far behind, ranking fourth in the SEC (4.8) and 55th nationally.

Kellan Grady is fourth in the league in 3-point field-goal percentage (45.3%). He’s second in three-pointers made (43) behind Alabama’s Jaden Shackelford. When it comes to efficiency, Grady is ninth nationally in KenPom’s offensive rating, which measures points scored per 100 offensive possessions.

3. Kentucky is 280th in 3-point attempts

To borrow a line from John Calipari, this team has makers, not just shooters. Even so, the Cats still aren’t taking enough threes. Kentucky ranks 13th in the SEC and 280th in the country in three-point attempts, with an average of 19.3 per game. That number is slightly higher, 21.7, in the last three games. When you break down Kentucky’s scoring, only 29.2% of the Cats’ total field goal attempts are from outside the line, which ranks 339th in the country.

4. …and 269th in free-throw attempts

The Cats are only taking an average of 15.2 free throws per game, which ranks 13th in the SEC and 269th in the country. When they’re at the charity stripe, they’re connecting on 72.4% of their attempts, which ranks sixth in the SEC and 135th in the country.

Here’s a better look at the scoring breakdown, via UK Athletics:

5. Comparing the Calipari Era

Each week, the UK Athletics staff includes a handy chart of each Calipari team’s statistics at this point in the season in the game notes. As you can see below, the 2021-22 squad has…

• The second-best field-goal percentage of the Cal era (49.4%) behind the 2009-10 team,
• The second most rebounds per game (43.5) behind the 2013-14 team,
• The second most points per game (82.9) behind the 2016-17 team,
• and the second most assists (263) behind the 2016-17 team.

Year	FG%	Opp. FG%	3-Pt. FG%	FT%	RPG	Assists	TOs	Blocks	Steals	Points	PPG	Record
2021-22	0.494	0.389	0.339	0.724	43.5	263	178	77	105	1,243	82.9	12-3
2020-21	0.415	0.404	0.290	0.717	39.0	170	225	91	99	1,012	67.5	5-10
2019-20	0.462	0.386	0.321	0.775	37.9	229	188	74	80	1,122	74.8	12-3
2018-19	0.490	0.426	0.346	0.752	38.0	215	208	81	102	1,213	80.9	12-3
2017-18	0.483	0.406	0.367	0.686	39.2	230	215	84	100	1,183	78.9	12-3
2016-17	0.490	0.401	0.349	0.694	41.9	282	184	98	107	1,413	94.2	13-2
2015-16	0.473	0.405	0.313	0.650	39.5	202	193	82	96	1,164	77.6	12-3
2014-15	0.454	0.313	0.338	0.671	42.1	248	175	124	120	1,138	75.9	15-0
2013-14	0.475	0.390	0.298	0.660	43.9	189	189	102	64	1,207	80.5	12-3
2012-13	0.485	0.381	0.355	0.649	39.0	237	192	113	113	1,161	77.4	10-5
2011-12	0.485	0.347	0.364	0.709	42.6	215	204	141	103	1,215	81.0	14-1
2010-11	0.467	0.389	0.405	0.700	40.3	203	165	100	85	1,200	80.0	12-3
2009-10	0.502	0.378	0.406	0.688	42.3	256	232	112	108	1,252	82.8	15-0