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Former Kentucky All-American Jack Givens was certain freshman point guard Cason Wallace could not play 40 minutes against Tennessee’s aggressive defense.
Even with guards Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick missing again because of injuries, Givens was worried Wallace would wear down if coach John Calipari did not rest him.
So what happened? Wallace didn’t play 40 minutes. He sat out TWENTY NINE SECONDS. That’s right. He played 39 minutes, 31 seconds and responded with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, five fouls drawn and one steal.
“He played strong. He was really good with the ball,” Calipari said. “But he is a better shooter than that. Think about if he was making a couple of 3’s and a couple of pull-ups. Then there would have been a gap for us and I will be honest, we need that.”
Wallace was only 6-for-14 from the field and 0-for-3 on 3-pointers but UK did win 66-54 after leading 39-19 at halftime.
Wallace did make pull-up shots. He did post inside once and scored. He had a dunk on a set play. He had two terrific bounce passes to Oscar Tshiebwe for easy scores inside.
“I am never going to shy away from taking shots. It just wasn’t falling. If I don’t take it, I won’t know if it will go in or not,” Wallace said on the UK Radio Network.
Wallace certainly has a fan in CBS-TV veteran analyst Bill Raftery said.
“He has been terrific with his play and his hands (on defense),” Raftery said. “He does a nice job running the show and contributing even when he is not making shots. The kid just does a great job running the show. He has taken over with Wheeler out and even when he struggles he still finds the right people. He’s a highly polished player.”
Wallace almost went to Tennessee. Until Kentucky offered, the Texas guard was seen as a huge UK lean. Now he’s helped the Cats upset the Vols twice. He played 22 minutes at Knoxville where he was limited by a back issue and foul trouble.
He wasn’t coming out of Saturday’s game no matter what. He said he knew other teammates could help with the ball handling.
“I just had to stay calm, collected and make sure we ran the offense,” he said. “I have got to put my body on the line at certain times. If there’s a loose ball, I got to go get it. It might hurt tomorrow, but I got to finish the game.”
However, he did say he would be glad to have Wheeler back to reduce his minutes and is leaning on Wheeler for help now.
“When he is in, he pushes the ball. I am learning from him about how to get the team in the right positions. I am still going to him for advice and stuff,” Wallace said.
Givens told Wallace he was a “stat-sheet stuffer” and was becoming his favorite player with his play.
Odds are a lot of Kentucky fans feel the same way.
4 Responses
Livingston coming on strong has made a huge difference..I believe it’s relieved some of the pressure off of Oscar
I was thinking we needed to eliminate Wheeler from the rotation but I was wrong. We definitely need him to give Wallace some rest.
I’m hoping he can return and that Cal can limit his minutes and not go back to playing Wheeler 35 minutes plus. Around 10 per game would be perfect.
I agree 1996.
Frederick can play point too and is a better half court defender than Wheeler. Wheeler will get some PT when he comes back, but his days of being a starter have passed. Hopefully, the breathers will put some life back into Cason’s legs and get his shot back on target.