When Mark Pope arrived at Kentucky, he wanted his teams to attempt at least 30 3-pointers per game, but that has not happened through his first two seasons.
During the 2024-25 season, Kentucky averaged 25.3 3-point attempts per game, which ranked No. 78 nationally. This past season, the Wildcats averaged just 23.9 3-point attempts per game, ranking No. 154 in the country.
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Now, with Pope essentially having a brand-new team in Year 3, the goal remains the same: attempt 30 or more 3-pointers per game. With the roster he has assembled, that goal could finally become a reality, thanks to shooters such as Milan Momcilovic, Kam Williams, and Trent Noah.
Last season, Momcilovic shot a blistering 48.7% from 3-point range while averaging 7.5 3-point attempts per game. Meanwhile, Williams had a bit of a down year, shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc on 3.3 attempts per game, largely because of the transition from the AAC at Tulane to the SEC at Kentucky. Another factor was his foot injury, which limited him before he returned late in the season.
As for Noah, he shot 33.3% from 3-point range, the same percentage he posted as a freshman. Although it appeared to be a down shooting season, it really wasn’t, and he looks poised for a breakout junior campaign.
Previously, Pope told Momcilovic that he has the green light to shoot, even if his 3-point percentage drops, because he wants him taking more shots than he did at Iowa State.
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The same approach applies to Williams and Noah, who should not be afraid to let it fly.
“He kind of tells us that, me and (Milan Momcilovic), pretty much every day. And Trent as well,” Williams told reporters last week. “He’s kind of telling us all the time, you want our percentages to look differently. If our percentage is too high, then that’s a problem. Just different things like that.”
While Kentucky has yet to average more than 30 3-point attempts per game under Pope, Williams believes this year’s roster has the talent to accomplish that goal.
“I’m pretty sure,” he said when asked about hitting that mark. “I feel like we have a great shooting team and there’s definitely a strong emphasis that we can use this year and take advantage of this year, because we have a lot more shooters on this year’s team than last year’s team. We can make a lot of noise, for sure.”
