Opinion: The Kentucky Wildcats have wrapped up their regular season and head to Nashville this week for the SEC Tournament so it’s a good time to take a step back and evaluate the regular season. We all know the emotions of post-season can warp a season one way or the other (sometimes positive like in 2014 or negative like last season) so it’s always good to have some reflection before that gets started. We’ll look at all of the major rotation players and Cal.
Cason Wallace – B+
Cason Wallace came in as a top 10 recruit and has frankly exceeded my expectations. Cason has transitioned from a CG to a true lead guard during the season and has largely been one of the best players in the conference. He has sacrificed his numbers (specifically his shooting which has kind of cratered in conference play due to the workload) for the betterment of the team and has become a true leader.
Defensively he has been as advertised. Kentucky has struggled with team defense but Cason has made several game-winning plays on that end of the floor which was his calling card in HS. Injuries at the wrong time are the only thing keeping his grade at a B as we arguably have two bad losses because Wallace went out mid-game and will ultimately cost Kentucky a seed line or two when the brackets are announced on Sunday. Not something he can control but I do think should factor into the overall grade.
Sahvir Wheeler – D
The season has not gone according to plan. Sahvir returned to Kentucky and was expected to pick up where he left off as one of the best assist men in the country and have the keys to a top 5 offense. Instead Sahvir’s limitations were on full display early in the season as Kentucky was mostly a mess on both ends of the floor. That wasn’t all his fault but he became the fall guy for fans who embarrassingly booed him in Rupp Arena and it’s clear he had a crisis of confidence.
He did seem to take everything in stride and had found his role on the team once Cason grew into the lead guard role but injuries have ravaged his season. He’s played just 9 conference games and his absence has placed a strain on the rest of Kentucky’s back-court (as it did last season).
CJ Frederick- C-
Much like Wheeler, CJ’s grade is heavily impacted by injuries. Hailed as a shooter and when healthy CJ’s gravity on the court is 100% a positive for Kentucky but due to those injuries (finger and now ribs) the shooting just hasn’t been there. He’s shooting just 32% from three on the season but in just 12 conference games his numbers drop to 28%.
He does deserve credit for continuing to battle back and when healthy he’s proven he’s more than a shooter as he’s a smart team defender and can handle PG duties. Also no one should question his toughness as anyone who has had a cracked rib can attest those are extremely painful and CJ gutted it out on Saturday in Fayetteville and helped Kentucky get a win.
Antonio Reeves- A-
Coming in to the season a lot of CBB media scoffed, including one prominent voice ranking Reeves 40th on a list of transfers. Safe to say he’s been much better than that. At Illinois State Reeves had the ball in his hands on just about every possession and there had to be some adjustment as he stepped up in competition, once he got comfortable he took off.
He’s shooting 41% from 3 which is a career high but has proven to be a versatile scorer. He’s far exceeded any expectation I had for him and frankly I’m praying the rumors of him wanting to come back are true.
Jacob Toppin– B
Jacob came into the season with a lot of hype. There was talk of potential first round pick with a massive leap in production and, in my opinion, that messed with him and he lost what made him so impactful. For the first two months of the season Toppin was on the Struggle Bus and the team was lost. It got so bad Cal had to bench him after a horrendous performance against Missouri and Toppin would openly talk about how far in his own head he was.
Then a flip switched and Toppin put up back-to-back 20+ point performances against Louisville and LSU respectively but for me the turning point was the game down in Knoxville. Tennessee did their best to punk Kentucky and Toppin (coming back from an injury) was part of the reason they could not. He grabbed 8 rebounds and totaled 5 assists in a game that probably saved Kentucky’s season. Since then, Toppin has been one of the best players in the SEC. He’s shooting 50% from three in conference and has even played a point forward hybrid at times in the absence of others. His grade stays at B simply because the first two months of the season count but Kentucky’s transformation coincides with Toppin’s.
Oscar Tshiebwe – A-
The reigning NPOY set the bar too high last season. By any objective measure Oscar Tshiebwe has been fantastically productive and his elite rebounding is one of the reasons this team has a top 15 offense and has been able to close out several games. The problem is he was historically great last year and so even a small step back on his averages has led to many believe he isn’t the same player.
He dealt with a preseason injury that required surgery and it’s clear that had a bigger impact that anyone wanted to admit at the time as Oscar has been noticeably more mobile the last 2 months of the season but even taking into account his defensive struggles (which are not all his fault) Oscar has had a really good year.
Chris Livingston – B+
It was obvious from day one that Chris Livingston had the physical attributes and work ethic to be a stud and it was just a question of would we see him put it all together at Kentucky this season. While we probably still haven’t seen the best version of Chris he’s grown into his role right when Kentucky needed him and has made multiple game-wining plays.
Even during games when he isn’t scoring Chris has found ways to impact the game on the defensive end and his rebounding. The dude is a winner and ideally he’s the type of player that sticks around for one more year and becomes a star.
Daimion Collins – A
On the surface that Daimion Collins grade seems way too high based on his impact but I’m going to be honest, it has nothing to do with basketball. Daimion was predicted to be the guy who took the biggest leap and in the Bahamas it looked like he had with highlight dunks and showing off his shooting touch as well as his skill. Cal mentioned publicly that he was the best player in practice and BBN was slotting him in at the 4 next to Oscar. Was that him dominating over-matched competition in the summer? Was Cal just hyping his own guys to build confidence?
We’ll never know as tragedy struck and a few days before the season started Daimion lost his father unexpectedly. Cal recently talked about how much weight Daimion lost in the aftermath and there is no way the physical and mental toll that takes on a person can be quantified. I lost my father unexpectedly on my 30th birthday and it nearly broke me. I had lost the one person who I knew I could count on to know the answers. He was a cheat code for life that meant I never had to worry about anything knowing my safety net was there to guide me to the right answers of being a father/husband. Then he was gone and despite being around my wife, kids, friends, and mother I felt alone. For weeks I was terrified and second guessed every decision, I was in a pit a despair and it took me several months to truly get out of it. I can’t imagine going through that at age 19 while being a thousand miles away from the rest of my family. The fact that Daimion is even on the bench let alone gaining the weight back and even having a small but significant impact in a couple of games is truly remarkable. I hope Daimion knows how much BBN loves him and wants him to succeed no matter what the future holds. He gets an A from me.
Lance Ware – A
Lance Ware is the ultimate team player. He knows his role and executes it to perfection. He ruffles the feathers of the opposition, he holds teammates accountable because his effort can never be questioned, and Cal has openly talked about his leadership. He’s also had a big impact in important games. Down in Knoxville he came into the game and went straight to Plavsic’s face and set the tone letting the entire building and really the entire conference know that Kentucky wasn’t rolling over.
Adou Thiero/Ugonna Onyenso– B
I put Adou and Ugo here together just because both were projects and weren’t really expected to make much of an impact this season. Adou has been forced into action a lot due to injuries and has acquitted himself really well. His growth and development have me really excited for what he could become should he decide to stick around.
Ugo probably should have gotten more minutes but it was clear pretty early he wasn’t ready for big-time CBB just yet. No shame in that as he wasn’t supposed to be. His length and frame have me really excited to see what kind of player he can become but I’ll remind fans to stay patient. Big men often take a little more time to develop. Nick Richards took 2 full seasons before he become an all-conference player and eventual NBA draft pick. Ugo is probably more advanced than Nick was at this stage but might be on a similar trajectory.
John Calipari – B
No doubt Cal has been under pressure this season. The COVID season debacle and then losing to St. Peter’s understandably has fans anxious. That doesn’t excuse the toxic behavior from losers holding signs in the arena or weirdos flooding the social media of his adult children but the angst is warranted.
After the South Carolina loss in Rupp it looked like the program was hurtling to an ugly divorce with our HOF coach. Then Cal did what he does, he proved he can coach his tail off. Using Bark Tovik’s site you can see that since January 14th (the win down in Knoxville) Kentucky has been a top 15 team in the country with a top 10 offense (I was reliably informed that he was a dinosaur on that end of the floor) that has gone against some truly elite defenses in the SEC. He’s overcome an elite player and his family lying about their intentions and some serious bad injury-luck to save the season and give Kentucky a fighting chance in the postseason (important to note he’s still waiting on Cason’s injury).
Ten losses aren’t good enough for Kentucky basketball and never will be but there were rumblings of the “game has passed him by” from prominent radio hosts and Cal has put those to rest for now. His players have openly talked about how he handled them in the darkest moment of this season and on a human level there is no one I’d rather have leading this program.
Read: Locker Room Lance Leading Cats
Read: 6 Things Slowly Killing College Basketball
Read: Tyler Ulis Making An Impression At Kentucky
Read: Player Spotlight – Cason Wallace
