Kentucky Basketball: 3 biggest takeaways from 2020-21 disaster season

Kentucky’s offense is under fire

For several years, light complaints among the fan base have criticized John Calipari’s roster construction and labeled his offense style as outdated. Such complaints didn’t matter so much when Kentucky was winning 30 games per year. After a losing season, these concerns are at the forefront of local talk shows and columns.

On offense, this year’s team missed a bunch of shots from all over the court. Too many of those misses came from mid-range. Fans, broadcasters, and columnists have argued that Kentucky should shift toward Alabama’s style of play, where all shots come at the rim or from behind the three-point line.

The math works, too. If you shoot 33% from three vs. 42% from mid-range, you’ll average more points per shot from three-point-range. For the sake of those watching games, it would be a heck of a lot more fun.

Ironically, Kentucky pioneered the fast-paced, three-point-heavy style of play in the early 1990s. Now, it’s as if they’re playing a game from the stone age.

Recap

I can’t predict the future, but history suggests Kentucky’s 2021 season is an anomaly. This is a program backed by 2300 wins, eight national championships, and a Hall of Fame coach. They’re just 12 months removed from a 2020 SEC Championship. This was only their second losing season since the Great Depression. Despite missing out this year, Kentucky still finishes the season with more NCAA Tournament wins than any other program since 2010.

Kentucky fans: Let’s slam the door on this season, lock it, throw away the key, and never talk about it again.