John Calipari shares Reed Sheppard message to him on Kentucky's style of play when trailing

Few teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament have the kind of sheer offensive firepower the Kentucky Wildcats are capable of showcasing when they’re firing on all cylinders.

The issue for Kentucky is that the offense isn’t always consistent. Particularly when the Wildcats are trailing in games.

Get a lead on Kentucky and there’s a decent chance the Wildcats’ star-laden roster will start going it alone, looking to win the game with individual heroics rather than quality team play. The ball stops moving as much and gets stuck in the hands of just a few players.

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It’s something even the ‘Cats are aware of.

“Reed Sheppard said to me, ‘Coach, I’m not sure we’re selfish, but I think we have so many good players, each guy is trying to get us back in the game himself, and we’re just not as good when we play that way,'” coach John Calipari said. “Now, we talk about it, but there’s game slippage and they revert back to their habits sometimes, and that’s both on offense and defense.”

The Wildcats have some monster scorers, led by Antonio Reeves and his 20.0 points per game. But freshmen guards Rob Dillingham (15.4 points per game) and Reed Sheppard (12.8 points per game) are equally capable of lighting it up.

The key is making sure they don’t try to take on more than they need to.

To that end, Calipari has done virtually everything he can to underscore the importance of continuing to share the basketball, even when trailing in games. Maybe especially when trailing in games.

“Look, I’ve had video. We did highlights to show them, here’s when we’re at our best,” Calipari said. “Here’s when we’re not. And most of that is we hold the ball. But they’re not robots, they’re not machines. They don’t play — there’s stuff that you’re teaching that they miss on.”

Kentucky will begin NCAA Tournament play as a No. 3 seed in the South Region on Thursday night against Oakland. The Wildcats will be expected to win.

Nothing, though, is guaranteed in the NCAA Tournament. And there will be loads of pressure on the heavy favorite.

“You know, you talk about the pressure of this tournament,” Calipari said. “It’s on everybody. You got more than anybody else, and Reed has more than — no, it’s on everybody. And how you deal with it is how have you done throughout the year when you’re down? Have you ever been down 36 minutes and came back and won the last four? Have you been up, they make a run and you gotta make another run? All that stuff adds up to the experience a young team like ours needed.”

Kentucky will find out just how well it has soaked up its experiences from this year. Can the ‘Cats keep the ball movement going and come out clicking offensively?

Tune into CBS at 7:10 ET tonight to find out.