(Vicky Graff Photo)
The last time Kentucky and Florida played, UK freshman guard Cason Wallace had 22 points and hit two free throws with 13 seconds to play to secure the victory for the Cats who had blown most of a 14-point lead with only eight minutes to play.
It was another one of the games where Wallace had shined in the final five minutes with the five or fewer points separating the Cats and their opponent.
— Against Michigan State, he had five points, went 2-for-2 from the field with a 3-pointer, and had two rebounds and one steal.
— Against Michigan, he hit a 3-pointer (his only shot).
— Against LSU, he made his only shot and had an assist.
— Against Tennessee in Knoxville, he grabbed a rebound and handed out two assists.
— Against Texas A&M, he had his only shot.
—Against Florida, he had seven points by going 2-for-2 from the field and 2-for-2 at the foul line, one rebound and one assist.
“He’s getting better. He was ready to play. He hasn’t been good in afternoon games. Now what’s the next level up to that? And I reminded him, this team needs everybody,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after Saturday’s win over Tennessee. “He is such a great kid. He takes all the shots I throw at him. It doesn’t phase him. He knows I care about him. I love him.”
Wallace had 16 points, six assists, six rebounds and one steal against Tennessee. His only downside recently is that he’s 0-for-15 from 3-point range in the last three games after being UK’s better shooter from deep most of the season. He’s 2-for-19 in February (10.5 percent) since coming back from a minor knee injury sustained in the home loss to Kansas.
However, he has scored in double figures in seven of the last nine games and had 17 assists combined and only two turnovers in the two games when he didn’t hit double figures.
Wallace leads the Cats with almost two steals per game and has blocked 10 shots in the last nine games — more than any other teammate — to impact the game defensively.
Calipari has consistently praised his leadership ability and says he is talking a lot more. He’s not afraid to “speak up” where earlier in the season he was content to stand and listen.
