By the Numbers: Kentucky Basketball Through 21 Games

With 21 games down and 10 more to go in the regular season, we have a pretty good understanding of this Kentucky team. With blazing speed in the backcourt, a dominant rebounder inside, and wings that can burn you from the three-point line in, these Cats have looked like the best team in college basketball on occasion. As we count down ’til tipoff of the Cats vs. the Vanderbilt Commodores, let’s dip into the stats to get a better perspective on the 2021-22 Wildcats.

A Championship Comparison

Keion Brooks‘ 27-point performance at Kansas makes him the fourth Kentucky Wildcat to score at least 25 points in a game this season. Oscar Tshiebwe (30 vs. Vanderbilt, 29 vs. Georgia, 25 vs. Notre Dame), TyTy Washington (28 vs. Tennessee), and Sahvir Wheeler (26 vs. North Carolina) have also achieved that feat. Kellan Grady has come close to the 25-point mark twice this season, scoring 23 vs. High Point and Western.

When it comes to averages, Kentucky’s balance is even more impressive. All five starters are averaging double-figure scoring. Only one other team in the John Calipari Era has had five players average in double figures: the 2012 National Championship squad.

Milestones To Keep An Eye On

• Kellan Grady needs 57 more threes to break Jodie Meeks’ single-season record of 117. With 19 potential games left (10 regular season, 3 SEC Tournament, 6 NCAA Tournament), he would need to hit at least three per game. Right now, he’s averaging 2.9 makes per contest.
• Sahvir Wheeler is 36 assists away from 500 in his career. He needs 115 to take Tyler Ulis’ single-season record of 246. That’s an average of 6.1 per game if Kentucky plays the maximum number of potential games remaining, 19. Right now, Wheeler is averaging 6.9 dimes per game, which ranks third nationally, first in the SEC.
• Oscar Tshiebwe probably won’t break the Kentucky’s single-season rebounding record of 567, set by Bill Spivey in 1951. But, he will almost certainly break the modern single-season rebounding mark, held by Julius Randle (417). Through 21 games, Oscar has 317 boards. At this point in the season, Randle had 213. Oscar needs 83 more rebounds to become the seventh player in school history with at least 400 in a single season.

Player	Season	Games	Average	Rebounds
1. Bill Spivey	1950-51	33	17.2	567
2. Cliff Hagan	1951-52	32	16.5	528
3. Bob Burrow	1954-55	26	17.7	459
4. Frank Ramsey	1950-51	34	12.8	434
5. Julius Randle	2013-14	40	10.4	417
6. Anthony Davis	2011-12	40	10.4	415

Nation’s Best Rebounder

It feels like we share Oscar’s stats with you every day, but they really are amazing:

• No. 1 in rebounds (15.1 per game and 317 total – 41 more than No. 2, Armando Bacot)
• No. 1 in offensive rebounds (5.14 per game, 108 total)
• No. 1 in offensive and defensive rebounding percentage (20.1%, 36.5%)
• No. 2 in defensive rebounds (9.95 per game, 209 total)
• Tied for No. 3 in double-doubles (15)
• No. 9 (No. 1 in SEC) in field-goal percentage (61.5%)

Oscar’s lead in the KenPom Player of the Year standings continues to grow. His kPOY rating is 1.805, well above Ohio State’s EJ Liddell‘s 1.536. The metric shows a player’s value to their team through a combination of offensive rating, possessions used, and stops on defense.

Best Field-Goal Percentage of the Calipari Era

Each week, the UK Athletics staff includes a handy chart of each Calipari team’s statistics at this point in the season in the game notes. As you can see below, through 21 games the 2021-22 squad has…

• The best field-goal percentage (49.7%),
• The second most assists (357) behind the 2016-17 team,
• The third-most steals (146) behind the 2014-15 and 2009-19 teams,
• The third-highest rebounding average (41.6 rpg) behind the 2009-10 and 2013-14 teams,
• The third-highest scoring average (82.1 ppg) behind the 2016-17 and 2009-10 teams,
• and the fewest blocks (98).

Year	FG%	Opp. FG%	3-Pt. FG%	FT%	RPG	Assists	TOs	Blocks	Steals	Points	PPG	Record
2021-22	0.497	0.407	0.349	0.733	41.6	357	251	98	146	1,725	82.1	17-4
2020-21	0.415	0.405	0.332	0.733	39.1	255	305	131	134	1,467	69.9	8-13
2019-20	0.460	0.387	0.326	0.777	38.0	299	273	108	106	1,575	75.0	16-5
2018-19	0.481	0.407	0.357	0.752	38.7	302	277	111	140	1,663	79.2	18-3
2017-18	0.477	0.402	0.350	0.689	39.3	298	298	114	125	1,624	77.3	16-5
2016-17	0.495	0.421	0.355	0.688	40.6	370	247	127	132	1,918	91.3	17-4
2015-16	0.474	0.404	0.320	0.667	39.4	287	261	122	137	1,642	78.2	16-5
2014-15	0.461	0.326	0.361	0.690	39.2	320	233	157	158	1,556	74.1	21-0
2013-14	0.474	0.399	0.333	0.676	41.8	258	260	140	99	1,679	80.0	16-5
2012-13	0.486	0.380	0.360	0.645	39.3	313	277	163	140	1,600	76.2	15-6
2011-12	0.483	0.362	0.371	0.712	40.1	280	271	196	141	1,647	78.4	20-1
2010-11	0.459	0.381	0.399	0.699	39.5	273	239	141	124	1,628	77.5	16-5
2009-10	0.491	0.382	0.385	0.684	42.0	334	319	149	156	1,727	82.2	20-1