Kentucky working on new free-throw routine to improve shooting

Kentucky has knocked down roughly 47% of its field-goal attempts and 40% of its 3-pointers on the year, solid numbers overall. The Wildcats have gone cold a few times — vs. Michigan State and at Gonzaga, in particular — but for the most part, they’ve been making shots.

A clear area of struggle, though, has been at the free-throw line, with Kentucky shooting just 68.4% of those attempts. That issue was highlighted on the big stage vs. Michigan in London, with the Wildcats knocking down just 10 of 20 attempts at the charity stripe, including several costly misses late turning a comfortable victory into a nail-biter.

That comes after Kentucky collapsed at the line late in the Champions Classic, ultimately leading to a double-overtime loss to the Spartans — a game the Wildcats could and should have won.

“We worked on execution, and we were better today. We worked on ending games, and we were better today — except we missed free throws again, which is what we did against Michigan State,” John Calipari said after the Michigan win. “You can say it was this, it was that, we should’ve done this, but if we make free throws, none of that stuff matters.”

Kentucky executed elsewhere to help secure the win, namely the dagger 3-pointer from Cason Wallace on the left wing with a minute-plus to go to put the team up five. Missed free throws technically kept the Wolverines in it, but the Wildcats held on.

The team can’t continue to be in that spot, Calipari says. It can’t come down to the wire every game with the opposition having a chance to win because the Wildcats can’t convert at the line. For that reason, if you can’t be trusted to hit those clutch shots, you won’t play at the end of games.

“I’ve got to have — in the game, in the end — guys that can make free throws,” Calipari said. “If you can’t make free throws, you can’t be in at the end of the game. It’s not your percentage, it’s about, ‘Can you make shots with two minutes to go.'”

How is the team responding? By practicing free throws, of course. And they’re changing up their routine in hopes of getting things right to avoid those late-game issues moving forward.

Typically, the Wildcats take ten free throws in a row and rotate, putting the next player at the line. Now, a point of emphasis has been made on knocking down one-and-ones, a key struggle for the team as of late.

“We’re shooting one-and-ones instead of 10 free throws in a row,” Cason Wallace said Friday. “One-and-ones is what I’ve been struggling with at the line, so going up there with confidence knowing I do it in practice all the time, I should be able to do it in the game. Shoot three one-and-ones, you’ve got to make them, all six in a row basically. Just getting that mental practice and repetition, hopefully it will help.”

It’s not about distractions at the line or new environments setting up the shooting woes from the line, Wallace says. Nothing has changed, no excuses. The team is simply missing free throws — emphasis on free — it shouldn’t.

“It’s just free throws. Free throws have been the same ever since they were made,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on right now, but I’m going to lock in and get it right. Can’t be missing that many free throws.”

Coming from someone who shot extremely well at the line throughout his high school and grassroots careers, it’s a new struggle for Wallace especially, now shooting 50% (6-12) on the year. But it’s not a rut he’s going to get comfortable in.

“I’m not used to missing this many free throws myself, so I don’t know (what’s wrong),” he said. “It’s nothing I’m going to get used to, nothing anybody else should get used to. I’m just going to keep practicing it, making sure I stay sharp with it. Next game, I plan on not missing free throws.”

It starts Saturday, when the Wildcats take on Yale at Rupp Arena, with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.