Tre Mitchell was not his usual self against Tennessee: "We will sit down with him and ﬁgure it out."

ZGeogheganKSR

Up until the last few games, Kentucky veteran Tre Mitchell had been one of the Wildcats’ most consistent players this season. He averaged 13.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks per outing across his first 18 games, shooting 54 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from deep.

But that consistency has quickly vanished into a lack of productivity. That began to surface in Kentucky’s win over Arkansas last week when he shot 3-10 from the field. But he at least still finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds in that one. However, a few days later against Florida, it got even worse — five points and nine rebounds on 2-10 shooting.

During Kentucky’s 103-92 loss to No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday night, Mitchell might as well have sat on the bench the entire game. He would have been equally as productive from the sidelines as he was on the court.

Mitchell failed to score a single point against the Volunteers, missing all three of his field goal attempts while grabbing just five rebounds in 24 minutes. But it wasn’t his lack of scoring that stood out. It was his lack of interest. Mitchell was not active on either side of the floor for Kentucky, serving more as a cone on defense as opposed to an actual disruptive force. Attacking the glass with two hands and fighting for loose balls were optional. He was turning down clean looks from deep, ones he was taking and making with ease earlier in the season.

For whatever reason, the efficiency and effort level were simply not there and it was apparent to those who watched him play.

“He struggled a little bit and we will sit down with him and ﬁgure it out,” John Calipari said postgame. “Last game I stuck with him way too long. This game I said look, maybe it’s not your game, we got to get you back.”

Perhaps the minutes’ load is finally starting to wear on the fifth-year forward. He leads the team in playing time at nearly 34 per game. Or maybe his confidence is just not where it had been. Mitchell did go from being a main cog in the Kentucky offense to now playing the four next to a seven-footer. He’s at his best when the offense can run through him.

But regardless of the issue, Kentucky can’t afford another game like the one he had against Tennessee moving forward. He’s too integral to the offense to be such a non-factor while soaking up so many minutes.

“You just gotta stay with him,” Assistant coach Orlando Antigua added. “And I think Coach (Calipari) has stuck with him. Obviously, he’s a major part of our team. He’s a leader. I think you have to try to go make some easy plays for yourself and some of that can be on the offensive rebounding. Getting tip-backs, getting fouled, getting to the free throw line, seeing the ball go in.

“They’ve got tape on him, they know how skilled he is, they know how much of a facilitator that he is, and how he moves the ball for us. Teams are trying to take that away from him. And so we’ve got to be able to help him some and he’s gotta help himself.”