One might argue that it all started with "Pitino's Bombinos." Rick's early teams were obsessed with shooting beyond the arc. And while UK's use of long-range shots has waxed and waned over the years, it has certainly remained a fixture in Big Blue culture. We love the three. So it's unsurprising that the 'Cats would manage to leave another scratch in the record books by becoming the first team to hit a three in 1000 consecutive games. Truth be told, UNLV's streak started earlier. But once UK got going (and kept having successful seasons which allowed for more games played), they eventually passed everyone else.
How about some UK 3-point history?
PLAYERS
Most threes in a career:
TONY DELK - 283
KEITH BOGANS - 254
TAYSHAUN PRINCE - 204
Most threes in a season:
JODIE MEEKS (08-09) - 117
JAMAL MURRAY (15-16) - 113
TRAVIS FORD (92-93) - 101
(Malik Monk could make this list)
Most threes in a game:
JODIE MEEKS (1/13/09 at Tennesee) - 10
TONY DELK (1/20/96 vs. TCU) - 9
JODIE MEEKS (12/20/08 vs. Appalachian State) - 9
(we all remember Delk's 7 makes against Syracuse in '96)
Best 3P% (at least 100 made) in a career:
DORON LAMB - 47.5%
TRAVIS FORD - 44.5%
JAMAL MURRAY - 40.8%
(both Malik Monk and Derek Willis could make this list)
Best 3P% (at least 50 made) in a season:
TRAVIS FORD (92-93) - 52.9%
DORON LAMB (10-11) - 48.6%
DORON LAMB (11-12) - 46.6%
(Cameron Mills made 53.2% in a season but only made 42 shots)
TEAMS
Most threes made in a season:
1992-93: 340
1991-92: 317
1993-94: 301
1996-97: 287
2010-11: 281
1989-90: 281
1994-95: 276
1995-96: 266
2005-06: 265
1997-98: 250
Best 3P% in a season:
2010-11: 39.7%
1995-96: 39.7%
1992-93: 39.4%
2011-12: 37.8%
1994-95: 37.5%
1986-87: 37.2%
2007-08: 36.9%
1996-97: 36.9%
1997-98: 36.7%
2015-16: 36.6%
GAMES / MOMENTS
There are too many to count, but here are some that stand out for me, in chronological order.
4/1/96: Tony Delk falling into his own bench and getting mobbed by his teammates after being fouled on his SEVENTH made three of the National Championship game against Syracuse, about midway through the second half.
3/22/98: Cameron Mills made his only three of the game a big one, putting UK in the lead after trailing Duke by 17 midway through the second half. This was Elite 8 revenge for the Cats.
12/8/01: Tayshaun Prince scored the first 15 points of the game for Kentucky on 5 consecutive threes, the last just BARELY inside the UK logo at midcourt, to send a message to North Carolina. He ended up with 31 points and 7 made threes in a 20-point blowout.
3/27/05: Patrick Sparks made a frantic, buzzer-beating three against Michigan State to force overtime in a classic Elite 8 game. Not only did the shot barely fall in after hanging on the rim forever, but it had to be reviewed for several minutes because it was unclear whether Sparks was behind the line. It's sad that this memorable shot didn't lead to victory. UK wasted opportunities in the first OT and then ran out of gas in the second.
1/13/09: In a forgettable season, Jodie Meeks saving the day at Tennessee with a MAMMOTH 54-point performance, including 10 threes, will never be forgotten.
3/30/14: Aaron Harrison made a three with 2.3 seconds left to beat Michigan and send 8-seed Kentucky to the Final Four. Then...
4/5/14: Aaron Harrison does it AGAIN. He hits one with 5.7 seconds left, bringing UK from down 2 to up 1, defeating Wisconsin and sending them to the National Championship game. We won't talk about what happened there.
12/18/16: In an early-season heavyweight showdown, another UK star victimized UNC. This time it was freshman Malik Monk, scoring 47 and hitting 8 of 12 threes, including one to tie with 1:15 left and another to go ahead with 0:17 left. Wow. Final score: 103-100.
No comments:
Post a Comment