An assault on the UK basketball record books? Here’s what Mark Pope’s first team could do.
The goal has been clearly stated, and those doing the talking are dead serious.
This UK basketball team wants to put up an average of 35 3-point attempts per game.
It’ll be easier said than done to shoot that many balls from long range in a responsible manner that ensures the best chance at victory, but the Wildcats’ coaches — namely Mark Pope and longtime assistant Cody Fueger — aren’t joking around in their pursuit of the number, and interviews with Kentucky players over the course of the summer unearthed a practice plan that is clearly pointed toward that goal.
Even if UK doesn’t quite pull it off — and it’s worth noting that no NCAA Division I team has averaged that many 3-point shots per game since the 2018-19 season, and no high-major team has ever done it — these Cats are bound to get close.
Last season’s BYU team — coached by Pope, with Fueger as his “offensive coordinator” — averaged 32.0 3-pointers per game, second nationally. And this Kentucky roster appears to be even better equipped to take (and make) long-range shots following a transfer portal season that saw several prolific 3-point shooters flock to Lexington.
A not-so-bold prediction: At least one UK basketball record will be broken during the 2024-25 season. Will any others fall? That’s the real question
Kentucky record for most 3-pointers
A 35-year-old UK basketball record is in major jeopardy as the Pope era begins.
Back in the 1989-90 season — the program’s first under Rick Pitino — a Kentucky roster riddled by probation was overmatched in many of their games, and the first-year head coach employed an offensive approach aimed at trying to keep up with the competition (instantly winning over fans in the process).
