The Kentucky Wildcats advanced into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 78-73 win over No. 12 seed Davidson on Thursday afternoon, but they lost their grip on one of the more remarkable streaks in all of NCAA.
The Wildcats went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc against Davidson, which ended a 1,047 game streak of contests in which Kentucky made 3-pointer. It was the longest active streak in the country, which dated all the way back to Nov. 26 1988.
With sharpshooting Malik Monk off the roster and in the NBA this season, Kentucky's been a mediocre 3-point shooting team. UK ranks 117th in Division I in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting a cool 36.1 percent from downtown.
What's most impressive about the streak is the fact that Kentucky didn't need to keep it alive to win. Davidson made 11 of its 33 3-point attempts, but Kentucky overcame it by owning the glass, getting second-chance points, and shooting an efficient 26 of 51 from the floor.
It will be difficult to envision a scenario in which the Wildcats continue to win by shooting woefully from beyond the arc, but then again, it's hard to see them only putting up six 3-pointers in a game. In the five games leading up to the Big Dance, Kentucky averaged 17 3-point attempts per game; down the stretch, it became a key part of its identity on offense.
If Kentucky wants to avoid an early exit in the NCAA Tournament, I'd expect it gets back to launching from deep on Saturday in the second round.
