Cason Wallace should return to the lineup when UK hosts Florida, a winner over Tennessee Wednesday night, on Saturday. (Vicky Graff Photo)
There have been a lot of things to second guess John Calipari about this season.
It could be personnel decisions. Why did he continue to keep starting Sahvir Wheeler? Why has he been resistant to play Antonio Reeves more for so long?
It could be team decisions. Why can Kentucky not defend the pick-and-roll? Why does Kentucky never use a zone defense?
However, I think Calipari made one really smart decision Tuesday night when Kentucky won 75-66 at Mississippi.
Freshman point guard Cason Wallace is the team’s best player. I know Oscar Tshiebwe was the unanimous national player of the year last season. I know he’s averaging a double-double again this year. But Tshiebwe is not UK’s best player this year because he gets beat too often on defense and he’s not close to the same fun-loving player he was last year.
Calipari did not play Wallace at Ole Miss. The freshman had missed most of UK’s loss to South Carolina with back spasms but this time he was out with a leg injury.
“He had a contusion so there’s nothing structurally … Banged knees. He was good at practice yesterday (Monday), and when we went to the shoot around, he kind of stepped funny and I told him just stay out, man,” Calipari said after the game.
“You don’t need to be playing guys that are 80 percent. You just don’t, or 90 percent.”
Ole Miss had lost nine of its last 10 games. It’s two best guards were not playing — one for personal reasons, one due to injury.
Now Kentucky was in a must-win situation and had to win to avoid another miserable loss on its NCAA Tournament resume. But every game the rest of the season is going to be a must-win for a team that was picked as a Final Four threat before the season started.
If Kentucky could not beat Ole Miss without Wallace, what chance would it have to win some of the tougher upcoming games if Wallace injured himself more by playing and had to miss a game — or games — in the next few weeks.
So it seems to me Calipari made the best decision to roll the dice at Ole Miss believing UK could win and give Wallace a few extra days to make sure his minor leg contusion did not become a major worry.
