3 point shooting

[UKWildcats#8]

7/25 tonight, just 28%. It is amazing we shot 50% overall despite that horrendous shooting. I wish I could blame poor shooters knocking us down but Ulis missed 5/6, Murray 8/12. Murray, Ulis and Willis (aka only 3 who should EVER shoot them) shot 7/21 for 33%.

Having said that, I cannot fault Murray and Ulis for shooting if they have the shots. Some games they will shoot a lot better than 5/18 combined, but not tonight. Willis shot 2/3 from 3 so good shooting from him at least.

I'm not bashing, just observing. We are getting solid looks, but need to hit a better clip in some upcoming road games especially if we want to win IMO.

 

[Smashcat]

With the poor outside shooting I want to see Mulder get in a game more than 30 seconds, if that.

 

[JasonS.]

Briscoe's just getting all of his missed shots out of the way early in the season.

 

[K_TIME]

Briscoe might as well close his eyes and shoot...worst looking stroke for a guard I've seen at UK.

 

[JerseyCat84]

28% from 3 and 50% from the FT line will not cut it on most nights.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

Briscoe might as well close his eyes and shoot...worst looking stroke for a guard I've seen at UK.

Briscoe needs to practice moving without the ball and cutting to the hoop. His best chance to score is to get layup attempts. I'm ok with the rate mid-range jumper, but that is about it.

 

[mdlUK.1]

With the poor outside shooting I want to see Mulder get in a game more than 30 seconds, if that.

Supposedly, he's not hitting in practice, so he's not going to get much pt until he does.

 

[jrpross]

Briscoe might as well close his eyes and shoot...worst looking stroke for a guard I've seen at UK.

He's the best rebounding guard we've had since Gerald Fitch, maybe better. And the worst shooting guard we've had since the 1800's, maybe worse.

 

[Jazzycat]

Yep....50% from the free throw line is not optimal for this young team. 1/5 for Marcus Lee tonight. Need to work on this stat. 29% from the three did not concern me as much. This team put the defensive pressure on Ole Miss and hustled throughout. A very solid game from these guys tonight....

 

[bucsrule8872]

We shoot way too many 3's, especially in a game where it was well in hand since the start. Why keep chucking 3's with a 20 point lead?

 

[JasonS.]

We shoot way too many 3's, especially in a game where it was well in hand since the start. Why keep chucking 3's with a 20 point lead?

We don't have guards that can do a whole ton else (in terms of scoring the ball). That's what Andrew and Aaron were so great at that we now lack ... offense via taking the ball to the rim.

Also why we don't draw a lot of fouls as a team this year.

 

[wild mandu]

Shooting will probably be UK's downfall at some point in the tournament.

Sometimes we like to complicate basketball - sub this guy, run this play, etc. - but the answer can be as simple as the inability to hit shots. Playing 3 guards, you have to be able to spread the floor and hit at a consistent clip.

That being said, there wasn't a need to shoot as many as they did tonight. It will matter in other games, however.

 

[Boozer93]

In before someone replies "but he won a 3 point contest in a high school all star game."

 

[Fancatstik]

12 attempts from 3 for Murray is a little excessive don't you think?

 

[tmuck]

Murray may be the streakiest shooter i've ever seen. If he makes 3 in a row, you can pretty much guarantee he's gonna miss the next 3 in a row. It's like a turnover everytime Briscoe goes up for a shot, woof!!

 

[Sithlyone]

We are a volume shooting team right now. Cal is imploring them to shoot the ball more. When one of them passes up a open shot to try to drive the lane or to pass he yanks them out of the game.

Now the FT's are a totally different story. Briscoe's shot is totally broken right now. Look at his stance at the FT line. Feet are staggered. Now I know some shoot that way but they hit them at a respectable clip, Briscoe not so much. In fact if he if he is at the line I would almost prefer him to just chuck the ball out of bounds, that way we can at-least set up our defense. If he is further away than a layup I have no confidence in that ball going into the rim at this point.

Now Lee, his shot actually looks decent at times so you can see he is working on it, even if they don't always drop.

 

[SaguaroCat]

Not too concerned. Ullis hit 43% last year. And it's a pretty stroke. Same with Murray. They will begin to drop. Briscoe.....well he might get it in a couple years.

 

[UKnCincy]

28% from 3 and 50% from the FT line will not cut it on most nights.

Yes it will, as long as you defend and rebound. This game was a prime example of why coaches don't spend a significant amount of practice time on things like free throws.

If you're defending well, limiting your opponent to one shot on most possessions and getting easy baskets off offensive rebounds, you almost always blow out your opponent.

On the flip side, I've never seen a blowout caused by hitting most of your free throws. I've also seen teams hit 90%+ of their free throws and still lose. They simply don't have as big of an impact as things like defense, shot selection, rebounding or turnovers.

Same with three pointers in most cases, although threes can be a bit of a wild card sometimes. You can overcome a lot of deficiencies and win a game by nailing a lot of threes. The problem is that even the best three point shooting teams can see significant swings in three point percentage from game to game.

As long as the defense and rebounding keep improving, I'm satisfied with a team that shoots only 50% on FTs and below 30% from three. They'll still win a lot of games.

 

[Hoskins91]

7/25 tonight, just 28%. It is amazing we shot 50% overall despite that horrendous shooting. I wish I could blame poor shooters knocking us down but Ulis missed 5/6, Murray 8/12. Murray, Ulis and Willis (aka only 3 who should EVER shoot them) shot 7/21 for 33%.

Having said that, I cannot fault Murray and Ulis for shooting if they have the shots. Some games they will shoot a lot better than 5/18 combined, but not tonight. Willis shot 2/3 from 3 so good shooting from him at least.

I'm not bashing, just observing. We are getting solid looks, but need to hit a better clip in some upcoming road games especially if we want to win IMO.

We force up too many still. There is no way Murray and Ulis should be taking as many threes as they do.

 

[loublue22]

We force up too many still. There is no way Murray and Ulis should be taking as many threes as they do.

yes they should, neither will get to the basket until they prove they can shoot 3s consistently

 

[Poetax]

We shoot way too many 3's, especially in a game where it was well in hand since the start. Why keep chucking 3's with a 20 point lead?

Maybe it's because Cal's screaming for everyone to shoot it.

 

[Blueathletics]

Brickscoe needs to just stop shooting 3's....prove you can make FT's first

 

[Blueaz]

We shoot way too many 3's, especially in a game where it was well in hand since the start. Why keep chucking 3's with a 20 point lead?

Because they get into the offense set so late, and then the only shot becomes available is a three.

 

[Blueaz]

Yes it will, as long as you defend and rebound. This game was a prime example of why coaches don't spend a significant amount of practice time on things like free throws.

If you're defending well, limiting your opponent to one shot on most possessions and getting easy baskets off offensive rebounds, you almost always blow out your opponent.

On the flip side, I've never seen a blowout caused by hitting most of your free throws. I've also seen teams hit 90%+ of their free throws and still lose. They simply don't have as big of an impact as things like defense, shot selection, rebounding or turnovers.

Same with three pointers in most cases, although threes can be a bit of a wild card sometimes. You can overcome a lot of deficiencies and win a game by nailing a lot of threes. The problem is that even the best three point shooting teams can see significant swings in three point percentage from game to game.

As long as the defense and rebounding keep improving, I'm satisfied with a team that shoots only 50% on FTs and below 30% from three. They'll still win a lot of games.

Agree But did you see Cal say they were going to actually practice FTs today after film.

 

[wild mandu]

Yes it will, as long as you defend and rebound. This game was a prime example of why coaches don't spend a significant amount of practice time on things like free throws.

If you're defending well, limiting your opponent to one shot on most possessions and getting easy baskets off offensive rebounds, you almost always blow out your opponent.

On the flip side, I've never seen a blowout caused by hitting most of your free throws. I've also seen teams hit 90%+ of their free throws and still lose. They simply don't have as big of an impact as things like defense, shot selection, rebounding or turnovers.

Same with three pointers in most cases, although threes can be a bit of a wild card sometimes. You can overcome a lot of deficiencies and win a game by nailing a lot of threes. The problem is that even the best three point shooting teams can see significant swings in three point percentage from game to game.

As long as the defense and rebounding keep improving, I'm satisfied with a team that shoots only 50% on FTs and below 30% from three. They'll still win a lot of games.

I don't think anyone would argue that outside shooting is more important than defense. We definitely don't want a team that relies on 3-point shooting, just one that can hit at a consistent, average rate. A guard heavy team should be more reliable.

And let's not pretend last night's game was a normal defensive performance from this team. Defense was AWFUL against Ohio State just a couple of games ago. String about 3-4 games like Ole Miss together and then we can talk.

 

[Jazzycat]

Camp Cal was a success as evidenced by the performance last night. Kids were hustling on both ends and rebounding. They need to show this each and every night. I do hope they can keep it up. If they want to win the SEC that is what they have to do. They are a young team who took a huge step forward last night. Let's see how they fare on the road against a better team. GBB!

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

Briscoe should not be allowed to shoot threes period.
He needs to drive and score or drive and kick and play tight D.

Ulis and Murray will both end up over 35%
Those two and Willis need to be the only three shooting from deep.
Willis is currently at 35.5% from three on 11 of 31 shooting. The % is good for 2nd best behind Murray. Willis needs more clock.

 

[UKCatsFan10]

Murray and Ulis need to shoot every time they have an open look. Willis too. Outside of that, occasional open 3's from couple other guys (not including Briscoe) is ok, but not with any volume. Murray, Ulis, and Willis are too good to pass up open looks from deep.

 

[kyjeff1]

Briscoe should not be allowed to shoot threes period.
He needs to drive and score or drive and kick and play tight D.

Ulis and Murray will both end up over 35%
Those two and Willis need to be the only three shooting from deep.
Willis is currently at 35.5% from three on 11 of 31 shooting. The % is good for 2nd best behind Murray. Willis needs more clock.

Good thing you're not the coach. One thing you never do as a coach is tell a kid not to shoot. You want him to know he is okay to take that open shot and that is why Cal pulls these guys if they pass up open shots. He wants to make the opposing team's defense to scramble to cover all open shooters which is an effective strategy. Briscoe will get it and part of the reason for that is his coach who is telling him to shoot the open shot.

 

[kyjeff1]

Murray and Ulis need to shoot every time they have an open look. Willis too. Outside of that, occasional open 3's from couple other guys (not including Briscoe) is ok, but not with any volume. Murray, Ulis, and Willis are too good to pass up open looks from deep.

Bingo. Excellent post. You are right on the money with that.
There was a thread last week where quite a few guys said Willis was a terrible shooter. I don't know where they got that from, he is a very good shooter and with his size he is a great weapon to have on the court.
We aren't going to hit 10 threes every game and there are going to be games where we only hit 5 out of 20 but our guys still need to keep taking them because it still opens up the floor and eventually one or two of our guys, with a little bit of hard work, are going to come through for us in a tough tournament game.

 

[Kybluedude]

Can't and don't need to play scared to shoot

 

[mdlUK.1]

Don't know if someone else mentioned this but Murray is the first Wildcat EVER to hit a 3 in his first 13 games.

 

[ukcatsfan2]

Wow! Just wow! Win by 22 and more arm-chair coaches in this thread than division 1 coaches.

Some of you need to sell your computers and take up basket weaving.

Sure, there are issues, but we are now 14 games into the season with a brand new team still trying to figure things out....

 

[CatDaddy4daWin]

I don't think anyone would argue that outside shooting is more important than defense. We definitely don't want a team that relies on 3-point shooting, just one that can hit at a consistent, average rate. A guard heavy team should be more reliable.

And let's not pretend last night's game was a normal defensive performance from this team. Defense was AWFUL against Ohio State just a couple of games ago. String about 3-4 games like Ole Miss together and then we can talk.

Actually we've had 2 good defensive games in a row. Held UL to 43% FG and 28% 3PT. So I'd say as expected our defense is getting better every game.

Our 3pt shooting will be fine. We're just shooting too many right now. No way we should have 25 attempts in a game. Ullis, Murray and Willis are really the only guys you want regularly taking a 3. Alex maybe 1 a game, Briscoe umm no. He reminds me of Cliff Hawkins with that awful shooting form.

 

[kyjeff1]

Wow! Just wow! Win by 22 and more arm-chair coaches in this thread than division 1 coaches.

Some of you need to sell your computers and take up basket weaving.

Sure, there are issues, but we are now 14 games into the season with a brand new team still trying to figure things out....

Take it easy, all I'm seeing are people saying the team still has a lot of improvements to make.
I'm sure there were times when you were an armchair coach too.

 

[WayneDougan]

Controversial Take: We need Willis to provide some minutes and hit 3's. I know there was another thread about it, but he needs to get his defense right so that he can provide us 10-12 minutes and knock down a couple 3's. If you look at the way the NBA is played, stretch 4's are very important. If Willis can consistently knock down those corner 3's like yesterday, he'll open the paint up for Ulis and Murray.

 

[WayneDougan]

Good thing you're not the coach. One thing you never do as a coach is tell a kid not to shoot. You want him to know he is okay to take that open shot and that is why Cal pulls these guys if they pass up open shots. He wants to make the opposing team's defense to scramble to cover all open shooters which is an effective strategy. Briscoe will get it and part of the reason for that is his coach who is telling him to shoot the open shot.

Uh... I'm pretty sure I'd tell dudes like Marcus Lee not to shoot a 3. And if Briscoe can't make them, he better not shoot them either.

 

[kyjeff1]

Uh... I'm pretty sure I'd tell dudes like Marcus Lee not to shoot a 3. And if Briscoe can't make them, he better not shoot them either.

Nobody is telling Marcus Lee to shoot threes. I didn't think I needed to actually explain that we are only talking about guards, Poy and Willis who have proven they can hit threes.
And again, the goal is to get these players to improve, telling Isiah he is not allowed to shoot will hurt his confidence to the point where it will affect the rest of his game. I think Cal is a better coach than you… check that, I know he's a better coach than you.

 

[BigBlue1992]

It's kinda scary to see Briscoe shoot a three. If y'all are anything like me you just know it ain't going in...same way with his free throws.

 

[Hoskins91]

yes they should, neither will get to the basket until they prove they can shoot 3s consistently

Two guys shooting eighteen of them and only hitting six isn't going to change that. Murray and Ulis clearly aren't the shooters to be taking the shots they are.