Kentucky basketball, Mark Pope will put 'aggressive' offense on display — and plenty of 3s

LEXINGTON — A team's style of play is dictated by a variety of factors.

Talent. Injuries. A coaching staff's philosophy. And a multitude of other components that may vary by the day, month or season.

Of these, a staff's core tenets is arguably the easiest — and logical — way to project how a squad will showcase when it hits the hardwood.

When it comes to Kentucky basketball under first-year coach Mark Pope, a look at his past provides a window into his future.

Last season at BYU, Pope's team attempted 32 3-pointers per game (1,087 in 34 games), which ranked second among Division I teams. Only North Florida averaged more (33.2 per outing). BYU made its share of triples during the 2023-24 campaign, too: Its 11.1 makes per game ranked third nationally, behind North Florida (12) and Alabama (11.2).

The Cougars also ranked in the top 10 in the country last season in three other offensive categories, including assists per game (18.5; third), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73; sixth) and bench points per game (33.5; fifth).

Just how heavily did BYU rely on shots beyond the arc?

The Cougars attempted more 3-pointers (1,087) than 2-pointers (1,068) last season.

Despite its bombs-away approach from the perimeter, BYU did so at a (somewhat) measured pace. Per KenPom, the Cougars' adjusted tempo — the number of possessions a team has per 40 minutes, adjusted based on the opponent — of 69.2 tied for 84th in Division I. (For context: John Calipari's final team at UK ranked 12th in that category at 73.9 possessions per 40 minutes). BYU didn't operate at warp speed when it had the ball, either. Per KenPom, the Cougars' average possession lasted 16.5 seconds — more than half of the 30-second shot clock; that figure tied for 56th nationally.

BYU regularly used a "five-out offense," in which every offensive player on the floor begins a possession behind the 3-point line. And as much as the Cougars leaned on the 3, another key aspect of the five-out attack is the space it opens in the lane. If a defender committed too much to guarding the perimeter, the player with the ball found a cutting teammate for an easy basket.

The first batch of Wildcats who will play for Pope in Lexington perfectly fit into this type of offensive attack.

Koby Brea was the most accurate 3-point shooter in Division I last season at Dayton, connecting on 49.8% (100 for 201) of his attempts. Ansley Almonor accounted for 93 triples in 2023-24, tying Fairleigh Dickinson's single-season school mark. Big man Andrew Carr has made more than 34% of his 3-point attempts during his college career, first at Delaware and then Wake Forest. Kerr Kriisa converted his 3-pointers at a 42.4% rate (61 for 144) last season at West Virginia. Otega Oweh shot 37.7% (20 of 53) from distance at Oklahoma in 2023-24. Jaxson Robinson, Pope's leading scorer at BYU last season at 14.2 points per game, was a steady shooter on 3s, going 81 for 229 (35.4%).

And those are just the transfers.

Among UK's incoming freshmen are a pair of sweet-shooting in-state superstars. Travis Perry, the all-time leading scorer in the history of Kentucky high school basketball, also set a state mark for most 3-pointers made during a career (712), sinking 41.7% (184 of 441) of his triples as a senior at Lyon County. And Trent Noah made more than 100 3-pointers last season, going 102 of 237 (43%) for Harlan County.

While specifics of Kentucky's offense — how fast it operates, how the breakdown will be between shots inside and outside the arc, how many points it averages — won't be on display until the season tips off in November, during his introductory news conference April 14, Pope provided a brief primer of what to expect.

"We’re going to be aggressive on offense," he said.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball offensive philosophy under Mark Pope in 2024-25