Fans will love to see this surprising stat on Kentucky's center Malachi Moreno

Malachi Moreno is getting things figured out at the charity stripe.

Jan 21, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) passes the ball during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

This offseason, many Kentucky fans were not sure what Malachi Moreno’s role would look like. Many figured that he would back up Brandon Garrison to start the season, and then when Jayden Quaintance was back on the floor, his minutes would decrease. Obviously, Quaintance hasn’t been on the floor much at all but Moreno outplayed Garrison and took over his minutes.

Moreno has developed a ton over his freshman season, and he continues to get better with every game he plays.  Early into the season, one area that was a concern with Moreno was his free-throw shooting. In the exhibition game against Purdue, he went 0-2, and then in the first game of the season, he went 1-6 at the stripe. This had fans concerned he would be a liability at the line.

That has not been the case in SEC play, and especially not in the month of February. In SEC play, Moreno is 38-53 from the free throw line, which comes out to 72%. In the month of February, Moreno is 17-21 at the line, which comes out to 81%.

Feb 14, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) posts up against Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Part of Moreno’s development at the charity stripe has been the soft touch. He seems to be guiding the ball in almost, and this is giving him some good kicks off of the rim through the nylon. When a team has a talented seven-footer down low, it is imperative that they can shoot free throws or a team could pull out the good old-fashioned Hack-A-Shaq method.

Moreno continues to play more physically as the season goes on, and most members of Big Blue Nation expect him to be the man in the middle for the Wildcats once again next season. If Moreno does come back next season, he will have a larger role and will likely shoot the basketball more. If this is the case, as his field goal attempts go up, so will his free throw attempts, so his continuing to get better from the stripe is very important.

When it comes to this season Moreno will likely be shooting some pressure free throws in the postseason at some point and Kentucky fans have to feel better about him shooting these than they did a few months ago.

Moreno isn't a name that has been talked about with some of the other top freshman in college hoops, but he will be a star next season which will likely be his last before the NBA comes calling.