Nothing foul about Johnson's big numbers for UK

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Dakari Johnson has heard the insults, and the University of Kentucky 7-footer understands them. He hit just 44.7 percent of his free throws last season. He made only 12 of 25 from the line in the Wildcats' first five games of this year.

"When I get fouled, they'll be at the line like, 'Oh, yeah, we wanted this,' " Johnson said.

There was quite a sense of satisfaction for the sophomore big man, then, when he sank 12 of 14 free throws in a rout of UT Arlington last week.

"It feels good," said Johnson, who thinks the key is clearing his mind and not over-thinking his shots – or rushing them. "I was more relaxed and just (stayed) after practice every day getting some extra work in with the assistant coaches."

But coach John Calipari wants to know something: If he can do that once, why not all the time? It's the only glaring hole in Johnson's ever-improving game. He's slimmed down, running the floor better and stuffing the stat sheet in limited minutes as part of the Cats' two-platoon system.

He's averaging 11 points, eight rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals in just 19.8 minutes per game. Johnson ranks 12th nationally in offensive rebound percentage (20.9).

"What gets in the way of him making 12 of 13? It's those six inches between his ears," Calipari said. "They weren't like bouncing around and in. He swished them. So he's capable. Now he has to have his own confidence."

Most of the Wildcats are riding high right now, having rolled to an easy 6-0 start, but they'll get two tests in quick succession now – at home against Providence (6-0), which is 25th in the coaches poll this afternoon and against seventh-ranked Texas on Friday night.

Johnson might actually enjoy those games a little more as he's been the victim of frequent double- and triple-teams by smaller opponents collapsing into the paint in an attempt to combat Kentucky's unmatched size.

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"It feels like that's how teams are going to play us," Johnson said. "They know our inside guys can do a lot of damage, so they kind of back off and sag in the paint."

Calipari is trying to get his other big men to play a more rugged style, asking junior 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein to get a wider base and 6-11 freshman Karl-Anthony Towns to sit down, not stand up so straight. Both sometimes get pushed around.

Not so much Johnson, who even at a "slim" 255 pounds can throw his weight around.

"He's not afraid to put his body on people," Calipari said. "What do you want the other team to do, surrender? They're not going to surrender, so they're going to fight you. The question is: Will you fight back? The minute they work, they work, they work, they work and you stay down and catch it and score … they surrender then."

As good as Johnson has been at dishing out that kind of punishment in the paint, Calipari has made one thing abundantly clear:

"You're not going to be in late if you can't make free throws," Johnson said. "So I just try to get that down pat, because I want to be in games late."

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.