Louisville vs. Kentucky: 2019-20 key storylines for rivalry matchup

1) Kentucky’s perimeter shooting

The Wildcats have a number of problems they need to fix, but their biggest problem has been their lack of perimeter shooting.

Kentucky is shooting just 27.8 percent from three as a team, a mark that ranks just 323rd in the country. That’s a problem that can be handled if a team has some individual players that command respect from opposing defenses on the perimeter, but the Wildcats lack that, too. Nate Sestina is the only player shooting over 30.8 percent from beyond the arc (38.1), yet he has only made eight threes on the season – five of which came in UK’s last game against Ohio State.

This lack of shooting cost them games against Evansville and Utah. Both teams packed the paint and played sagging defenses, essentially leaving players open from long-range and daring them to shoot. Kentucky did and struggled mightily, going 4/17 and 2/17 from three, respectively.

Calipari made some adjustments against Ohio State by putting Sestina in a lot more pick-and-pop situations and the results were a much more efficient offense. He was getting wide-open looks and, when the Buckeyes tried to push out on him, there were more open driving lanes for Kentucky’s elite slashers.

Expect this to be something the Wildcats continue to try to utilize against Louisville who, like Ohio State, has one of the country’s best defenses. Kentucky will need to make perimeter shots if they’re going to win.