Is Sahvir Wheeler playing the best overall he ever has at Kentucky?

It was the kind of rock fight that Kentucky coach John Calipari always says good teams find a way to win.

Kentucky did that Tuesday night beating LSU 74-71 in a game where it could just not put the visiting Tigers, who had won seven straight games and beat Arkansas in their previous game, away.

Oscar Tshiebwe was Oscar Tshiebwe again. He had 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and an improved 5-for-7 at the foul line. He also had 16 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, along with one block, one steal and one assist.

Jacob Toppin was there again when needed. He had 21 points and 17 of them came in the second half  when the Cats scored only 32 points. Toppin also had three rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. More importantly he hit a clutch, line drive 3-pointer from the corner and three straight free throws all in the final 90 seconds to secure the win.

But don’t overlook what point guard Sahvir Wheeler did. I know giving credit to Wheeler is not something  most UK fans want to do but he had 11 points, nine assists and six defensive rebounds. He had two turnovers but both came in a 48-second span midway of the second half.

“Wheeler may be playing as well as he has at Kentucky,” ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes said during the game.  “He is playing under control,  has not had the crazy turnovers yet and is hitting shots.”

Get this. Three of Wheeler’s field goals were 3-pointers on five attempts. I know one late in the game banked in, but that counts — Dykes called it a “wish play” and it was. Remember LSU banked a 3-pointer twice among the 11 treys it made.

Also Wheeler seemed to run Calipari’s “deliberate” offense almost perfectly. Kentucky had only eight fast break points but also made just six turnovers. The Cats just 51.9 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from 3. They also had 18 assists on the 28 made field goals.

Wheeler has the impossible job of trying to figure out what speed Calipari wants — or doesn’t want. He also gets stuck way too often late in the shot clock with the ball in his hands and no one moving to help him and did late again in the game before Calipari finally called a set that created space for Cason Wallace to drive and score.

“We just have to be clearer in how we’re going to finish games. I’ve made it clear about being in the flow of the game, I need to be more clear with (finishing). There are guys who can’t have the ball with 8, 9 seconds left on the shot clock. It’s all fixable,” Calipari said.

Wheeler now has five or more assists in six straight games and could be on pace to lead the Southeastern Conference in assists for a third straight year.

“Wheeler is playing as well as I have seen him in a Kentucky uniform,” Dykes said late in Kentucky’s win.

He did have the two turnovers and he did miss a late free throw but overall he does seem to be playing at a pace Calipari wants.

He’s also making shots. Wheeler is hitting 41.7 percent (15 of 36) from 3-point range. That’s second best on the team behind only Cason Wallace. Wheeler is also 8-for-14 on 3’s in the last five games.

So while Wheeler is not perfect, he might be better than you think and the Wheeler-Wallace combination clearly has become UK’s best one-two backcourt duo.