Kentucky best three-point shooting team among SEC in conference play

This Kentucky basketball team has the highest three-point percentage in the SEC in conference play.

Jan 10, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope talks to his players during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

This Kentucky basketball team was searching for their identity in December and had to fall back on defense instead of three-point shooting, as they won games against Indiana and St. John's where it was their defense turning into transition offense that ran the show. Against Indiana, the Wildcats shot just 3-15 from deep, following it up by going 4-16 against Rick Pitino's squad. Well, don't look now, because the Kentucky Wildcats look to be turning it up with shooting.

In five games of SEC play, Kentucky leads the conference in three-point shooting percentage, shooting the ball at a 38.7 percent clip from deep. What makes that even more impressive is the fact that the Wildcats have yet to put together a full 40 minutes of good offense, which means most of that shooting production is coming in the second-halves of these games. Here is what Kentucky's shooting splits in the second half of each of their five SEC games:

Second half @ Alabama: 2-10

Second half vs. Missouri: 5-13

Second half vs. Mississippi State: 5-11

Second half @ LSU: 8-11

Second half @ Tennessee: 6-10

As you can see, Kentucky's three-point shooting has improved drastically since the start of SEC play, especially in the last three games given the continuity of the roster. It's not just a team-wide effort. In fact, Denzel Aberdeen and Collin Chandler are tied for fifth in the SEC in three-point percentage in conference play. with Otega Oweh being 12th. Maybe Mark Pope was right when he kept saying his team would end up being a good shooting team, saying over and over how he has never seen numbers from practice not translate into games, and he continued to trust that it would come. Here is one of his comments from early December on Kentucky's shooting:

"Listen, by the end of the year, I think we're going to be really dangerous shooting the ball. I do. I've never have been on a team where the where the Noah (shooting) numbers don't actually eventually transport their way into games. I just have never seen that. ...We have guys that are doing that consistently in the mid 70s (percent over time) that have not exploded onto the scene in games yet, but they do. And so that's just a matter of time."

Don't look now, BBN, but the Wildcats are starting to get going from three-point range, and have won three-straight in the SEC. You can take a look at the updated conference standings here. We've got a close race after five games.