Adou Thiero has played more minutes with CJ Fredrick and Sahvir Wheeler injured and helped UK win its last two games. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Will Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick play at Florida tonight?
Wheeler has missed the last four games with an ankle injury while Fredrick has missed the last three with a rib injury.
“Both of those two are really working hard to come back. They want to play for this team. They want to play for the fans. But they got to be healthy,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said on his weekly radio show Monday night.
Their absence has forced freshman Cason Wallace to play a lot of minutes. He was in 39 minutes against Arkansas, 38 against Mississippi State and 39 against Tennessee. He “only” played 28 minutes at Georgia because of foul trouble.
That could be why he’s missed his last 15 3-point shots in the last three games and 17 of 18 in the last four games.
“I think he’s done great running the show, playing a lot more minutes,” freshman Chris Livingston said Saturday “And he’s still been really good and sound on defense, even though he’s probably a lot more tired being that he’s getting hounded by the other team’s point guard every possession.”
Freshman Adou Thiero is the only real option to rest Wallace or Antonio Reeves with Wheeler and Fredrick out. He’s played 42 minutes in the last four games and has eight points and nine rebounds.
“How about Adou? He’s just getting it done. He comes up with balls. He is so tough physically,” Calipari said after Saturday’s win over Tennessee.
Calipari said he expects the 6-4 guard to continue growing and make a “major impact on college basketball “ before he leaves UK.
“He had to wait his turn. And that’s hard,” Calipari said Saturday. “I had to leave him in because Antonio had two fouls. Then I played Antonio with two fouls a little bit and then I went back to him.”
If Wheeler and/or Fredrick cannot play tonight to provide relief for Wallace and/or Reeves, then Thiero will play again. Or maybe Calipari has liked what he’s seen from Thiero enough the last four games to continue to play him more even if the two veteran guards are able to play tonight.
