There’s nothing conventional about this high-flying Kentucky offense, and that may be by design after enduring NCAA Tournament disappointments in recent years.

It’s been nearly a decade since the Wildcats won the national title and they haven’t reached the Sweet 16 in any of the past 3 NCAA Tournaments. Coming into this season, the makeup of this Kentucky team looked very similar to what it has been for much of the John Calipari era.

This team is loaded with 5-star freshmen and has sparingly-little experience — they rank 192nd in that category nationally, per KenPom, which is the lowest they’ve been since 2021 when UK missed the tournament altogether.

But there’s an important hallmark of this Kentucky team that separates it from the recent failures in Calipari’s tenure: Shooting.

Boy, can these ‘Cats shoot the ball.

Kentucky ranks No. 1 nationally in 3-point percentage at 40.7% as of Thursday night. In case you were curious, a Calipari team has never shot better than 40% from 3 in a full season at Kentucky. The Wildcats have only gone over 37% twice during his tenure, and not at all since 2012.

And while they should be shooting even more 3-pointers (their 3-point attempt rate is just 195th in the country), the 3s they do take have led them to an offense that is top-10 nationally in adjusted efficiency — and surging.

But it isn’t just the 3-point shot that sets this Kentucky team apart. The Wildcats, led by Antonio Reeves, Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and Tre Mitchell, are excellent from the mid-range on high volume. According to CBBAnalytics, UK is shooting an incredible 45.7% from mid-range in 2023-24. For context, the Division I average is 36.1%. Kentucky’s above-the-break 3-point percentage (42.1%) is, too, miles ahead of the Division 1 average (33.2%).

Kentucky also shoots a high number of mid-range attempts, which goes against conventional wisdom in modern basketball. Per BartTorvik, Kentucky has shot 479 shots this season that are classified as “far 2s.” Alabama, who famously puts an emphasis on 3-pointers and shots at the rim, has taken just 192 of those shots this year.

The Tide’s approach has worked wonders for them this season, as they have the nation’s No. 1-ranked offense by virtually any adjusted efficiency metric. The math, in general, supports Alabama’s rim-and-3-point approach over the style that Kentucky runs. And yet, when looking at effective field goal percentage, these offenses are split by barely more than a rounding error — 57.4% vs. 57%. More importantly, they both rank in the top 6th nationally in that stat. Over a sample of nearly 30 games, it’s remarkable that UK’s mid-range-heavy shot diet has been able to keep up with Alabama’s hyper efficient approach — and a testament to the elite shot-makers on this team.

The triumvirate of Reeves, Sheppard and Dillingham are all shooting better than 44% from downtown and mid-range. Not for nothing, that trio is also excellent at finishing around the rim, particularly Sheppard. To illustrate how uncommon that type of efficiency is, consider that ShotQuality — a metric that estimates value for every shot taken in a college basketball game — currently ranks Kentucky’s offense outside the top 25 nationally. That’s despite consistent evidence that Kentucky’s offense is amongst the most efficient in all of college basketball. Shot Quality was even lower on the ‘Cats’ offense earlier in the year, but has slowly grown to accept their dominance on that end of the floor.

According to BartTorvik, Kentucky has posted an adjusted offensive rating of at least 119.9 in 7 of its last 9 games. Incredibly, this isn’t the only time UK has accomplished that feat this season. The Wildcats hit that same benchmark in 7 of 9 games between Dec. 16 (North Carolina ) and Jan. 20 (Georgia).

As Kentucky fans sit back and ponder whether or not this team is headed for the same fate as the last couple — an early NCAA Tournament exit — here’s a bit of good news. In 2023, UK was eliminated by Kansas State after posing an offensive rating of 101.1. Against Saint Peter’s in 2022, that figure was 104.9. Those offensive ratings would be amongst Kentucky’s worst of the season in 2024.

Kentucky has 3 regular-season games remaining before beginning the SEC Tournament in early March. The Wildcats’ unconventional, but wildly-efficient offense will be back in action again on Saturday night vs. Arkansas.

Calling all Kentucky fans! Make sure you’re signed up with one of Saturday Down South’s top recommended Kentucky online sportsbooks so you don’t miss out on any action this March!