Kentucky Basketball: 5 Eye-Popping Stats from Wildcats in 2015-16

Numbers don't mean everything in sports, but they often tell a big part of the story. This is certainly the case for the Kentucky Wildcats so far this season.

While they are no longer the No. 1 team in the nation after a loss to UCLA, the Wildcats have played well so far in 2015-16. As the schedule starts getting tougher, they currently have an 8-1 record with an impressive victory over Duke on a neutral floor.

Beyond wins and losses, though, there are notable statistics at both the team and individual level that provide a better understanding of what has happened so far this year. This includes both the good and the bad from the first nine games, although all of it is important to assess the squad to this point.

A lot can change as the year progresses, but here is a look at a few notable stats through about the first month of the season. 

3-Point Shooting Percentage: 27.5

James Crisp/Associated Press

Coming into the season, not many believed Kentucky would have a great three-point shooting team. Devin Booker and the Harrison Twins all left for the NBA while the freshmen replacements were better known for their slashing ability.

However, few could have predicted things would have been this bad in Lexington.

The Wildcats are among the worst in the nation with a 27.5 percent rate from beyond the arc. Jamal Murray is never afraid to shoot, but he is only hitting 33.3 percent after a 2-of-9 effort against Eastern Kentucky. No one else on the roster has made more than 10 three-point shots all year.

According to KenPom.com, Kentucky has scored only 16.2 percent of its total points from three-point range this year, second-lowest in the nation ahead of only Texas State. This could make the Wildcats extremely easy to defend later in the year if there is no threat from beyond the arc.

The team shouldn't start chucking up shots when nothing is available, but making open ones will be necessary against better opponents.

Opponent Free-Throw Percentage: 73.1

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

This could go in the bad luck category that will hopefully even out as the year progresses, but it is certainly an alarmingly high number.

According to KenPom.com, the 73.1 percent opponents are shooting at the free-throw line against Kentucky is the 64th-highest out of 351 teams. Eastern Kentucky actually brought the season average down with a pretty good 10-of-14 from the charity stripe.

The Wildcats have already felt the effect of this stat with UCLA shooting 26-of-34 (76.5 percent) in last week's upset win. In reality, you shouldn't be allowing a team to get to the line 34 times in a game, but fouls were a big story throughout that contest.

There is not much you can do to stop opponents from hitting foul shots aside from simply not fouling, although the best case will be for teams to just miss more often.

Jamal Murray's Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: 0.9-to-1

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Turnovers have been a big problem for Kentucky this season with Jamal Murray the main culprit. After four more giveaways Wednesday as part of a 17-turnover day as a team, the freshman now has 26 assists and a team-high 29 turnovers in nine games.

Considering the Wildcats' starting lineup consists of three players who identify themselves as point guards—one of them being Tyler Ulis, who led the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio last season—turnovers were not supposed to be a problem this year. The trio was intended to feature great ball movement and smart decisions leading to open passes.

Instead we have seen sloppy play as well as mistakes you would expect from inexperienced players. There is certainly a lot of reason to expect improvement, but the start is disappointing.

Murray has especially been forcing the issue and the result is a lot of turnovers. If this continues later in the season, Kentucky could be in trouble.

Alex Poythress Double-Doubles: 3

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

While three double-doubles aren't exactly going to put Alex Poythress in any record books, his recent play is extremely encouraging for Kentucky. The senior missed most of last season with a torn ACL and was slow to come back in the preseason, but now he appears to be at full strength and ready to play a huge role for the Wildcats.

Even with fluctuating playing time, Poythress has three double-doubles in the last six games, including a 21-point, 13-rebound effort against Eastern Kentucky that was arguably the best performance of his Kentucky career. This stretch also features more double-doubles than he had in his first three seasons combined (two).

He certainly looks better playing at the 4 rather than on the wing, and it seems like he is ready to be a leader and a star for this squad going forward.

On the other hand, the disappointing part is that the rest of the team hasn't been able to match his production. Marcus Lee has two double-doubles but has been inconsistent and isn't a real offensive threat. Skal Labissiere is yet to record 10 rebounds in a game despite being 6'11" and athletic. He really needs to improve his work on the boards if he is to become a top pick in the NBA draft.

In any case, the recent play of Poythress has been enough to make up for many other shortcomings from this team.

Games Allowing More Than 70 Points: 1

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

As is usually the case with John Calipari teams, defense is the most important part of the game. The Wildcats play aggressive on the perimeter and force opponents to come inside where there is no daylight among the shot-blockers.

Even with a new cast of characters this season, the Wildcats have been impressive on that end of the court. The squad is averaging just 65.5 points allowed per game with only a single team topping 70 on the year. Of course, that one exception was UCLA, which totaled 87 in a win. Still, the rest of the season has been solid and it shows the ability is there for great things.

A year ago Kentucky had one of the best defenses in decades and allowed just four teams to score 70 points or more in a game. With pace and scoring up around the nation due to rule changes, it would be understandable for this year's inexperienced team to struggle to match this effort. That has not been an issue for the most part.

The Wildcats could still stand to improve defensively, but it's clear the talent and discipline are there to be one of the best in the nation in this area. Now all that is needed is consistency.

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