Kentucky Basketball: Making or breaking their march to 2020 Final Four

Free Throws and Immanuel Quickley

In SEC play this season Kentucky averaged 74.5 points per game, which is good enough for sixth in the conference. The most compelling aspect of how they obtained their points, transcends beyond just conference play and is one of the most likely stats to be consistent regardless of who they play.

Coach Calipari is known for utilizing the dribble drive offense which relies on the decision-making of the ball handler. As the name suggests, the first scoring option in the dribble drive offense is to dribble and drive to the basket. Secondary options are to drive then dish to the post or drive and kick-out to a shooter depending on how the defense reacts. Through this offense, twenty-three percent of the possessions with Immanuel Quickley on the court have ended with him turning over the ball, attempting a field goal, or taking a trip to the foul line.

It is not only Quickley getting to the line, as a team the Wildcats made 79% of their free throws accounting for 24.6% of their points each game. No matter who they match-up with during the tournament, the success at the line should stay relatively steady.

It should be no surprise that the greatest contributor to the effective team free-throw shooting is Immanuel Quickley. Not only does the dribble-drive offense make Quickley important, but he also delivers on a nightly basis. Quickley leads the team in field goal, three-point, and free-throw attempts while hitting 92% of his free throws.

If  Kentucky is going to march on through to Atlanta and make it to the Final Four, Immanuel Quickley will be leading the way.