By: Ronald "Doc" Ball
General Impressions Solid game. Nobody played great but several played very well. Makes for a better all around team, one that is more difficult to defend. I was not as impressed as many with the movement, seems stagnant at times, but the passing was markedly improved. Overall scoring was nicely distributed as we had 5 players in double figures. IMO that is key as it makes the defense have to make choices, and gives us options.
Jacob Toppin A- Was rebounding like Oscar tonight, which is the Toppin we want to see. Played 34 minutes, second most on the team. Only missed one of his seven shots and didn't make it to the line, for a total of 12 points to go with the 10 rebounds. He ran the floor well and make the right plays. The difference in his game from a few weeks ago is huge.
Cason Wallace B Was nice to see play a just solid game. Had 10 points in his 32 minutes, but some of those were coasting minutes. 1 assist, no turnovers and 5 rebounds completes his line. In a stat oddity, we had 3 players shoot make all our treys. All three shot 5 and all three made 2 of them. Cason was one of them.
Oscar Tshiebwe B Yet another double double. He led the team with minutes played at 35. He was second high on the team with 15 points, he led the team in rebounds with 13. He also led the team with 2 free throw attempts.....in fact he was the only player to shoot free throws. He made half of them. Still confused why he can sink a 15 foot in a game but can't when play is stopped. His differential was an outstanding 18
Sahvir Wheeler B+ A generous grade but compared to how the season has gone, I can justify it. He had a team leading 5 assists in 22 minutes, added 4 points. 2 steals and a turnover. His differential was 11. But mostly he played controlled and unselfish ball. Had few drives and only one trey attempt. He gives us that every game and its cool. I've long advocated for him being a 20 minutes per game player. He was tonight.
Antonio Reeves A- Gave us a first half boost. I think he has a more varied game than CJ and thinks he brings more to the table than CJ but I like him more off the bench. He come in and gives a scoring spark when needed. His game high 16 points on 7-14 shooting was huge. He moved well and scored in a wide range of manners. Defense was better as well. A solid 11 point differential was up there. His 27 minutes of playing time was ideal.
Chris Livingston C Kind of a tough night but not a bad one. 15 minutes, 2 points and only a 1 point differential. He need to contribute more, Cal needs to get him incorporated into the flow, and Chris needs to step up. There are flashes there but still seems out of sort.
CJ Fredrick B+ 10 points on 4-8 shooting. You could see his face light up when he hit that first trey. However the most impressive aspect of his game tonight was the passing. He matched Savhir with 5 assists, including a couple gems. In his 28 minutes on the floor, UK outscored Vandy by 15.
Lance Ware C Goal was to allow Oscar some rest, and he achieved that. Still its a bit unfair to him to have Sav and him on the floor at the same time.
Adou Thiero
Ugonna Onyenso
Daimion Collins
Coaching B Much more judicious distribution of PT. Still a little high on Oscar, Toppin and Wallace but better. As the commentators noted, excessive PT early leads to injuries late. Also a brilliant time use of time outs at the end of the first half.
Officials B+ Better than I expect from the SEC. No phantom calls and fouls did not alter the game, nor did they go for face time by using numerous reviews.
Commentators A Liked them
Other When was the last game you recall where a team shot 2 free throws for the entire game. UK was whistled for 15 fouls, Vandy for 5. We shot 56% overall, 37% from long range and 50% from the FT line. We dominated the glass by 13 (37 to 24) and assists by 12 (17-5). We had good contribution off the bench with 20 points (16 for Antonio and 4 from Savhir). Overall a solid performance but we need to do better on Saturday.