Sahvir Wheeler’s ‘ridiculous’ defense sparks Kentucky rally to victory
As Sahvir Wheeler led a second-half revival that resulted in a Kentucky victory Friday night, the opposing coach kept believing that the UK point guard could not sustain his game-changing play.
“I was saying, hey, the kid is going to wear down eventually,” Miles College Coach Fred Watson said. “And he just never wore down.”
As a result, Wheeler led Kentucky to an 80-71 victory that was anything but a certainty well into the second half.
Miles College made 11 of 15 three-point shots in the first half. That resulted in Kentucky trailing for all but 23 seconds before the break.
Then in the second half, Wheeler put a stamp on the game at both ends. He repeatedly drove for scores on offense. And he repeatedly disrupted Miles College’s offense at the other end, eventually leading Watson to take the ball out of his point guard’s hands and hoping a guard not defended by Wheeler could run the offense.
It didn’t work.
“No. 2 dominated the game defensively,” Watson said. “He certainly changed the course of the game just through his defensive pressure and attacking the rim.”
The Miles College coach called Wheeler “a pro defender. The best I’ve seen. You can’t get by him. I don’t care what you do.
“And he doesn’t foul.”
UK Coach John Calipari also lauded Wheeler.
“I thought Sahvir defensively was ridiculous,” Calipari said. “But it’s hard to play that way for 30 minutes or more. But he did it.”
Of course, playing time is a central issue with a team as deep as Kentucky’s.
When asked if he could play 30 minutes, Wheeler smiled. “Yeah,” he said with a laugh.
Wheeler said he was physically fit to play.
“Nah, I’m not tired,” he said of logging 31-plus minutes against Miles College. “… I know I can make an impact immediately on that end of the court. Being disruptive. Speeding them up. Making them uncomfortable.”
Teammates credited Wheeler for sparking a game-winning 41-25 advantage in the second half.
“I thought he ignited our run at the beginning of the second half,” Kellan Grady said. “He played his tail off. His energy was infectious.”
Jacob Toppin echoed the sentiment.
“I love it because I’m an energy guy myself,” Toppin said. “So, I love watching him play. He did amazing.”
Wheeler and fellow guard TyTy Washington led Kentucky with 15 points and six assists each.
“What do we do if those two guys are going to play 30 minutes a game (each)?” Calipari said.
Wheeler also had two steals. One came near half-court when he faked toward the ball-handler’s left side. As the Miles College guard shifted the ball to his right side, Wheeler spun and swiped it.
“That’s one of the oldest tricks in the book,” the Miles College coach said in saluting Wheeler anticipating the ball-handler’s next move.
Wheeler called it instinctual.
“The majority of players are right-handed,” he said. “So, they’re always going to come back to that right side.”
Wheeler’s defense stood out in part because the game contrasted sharply with Kentucky’s first exhibition a week earlier. Against Kentucky Wesleyan, UK did not defend the interior basket area to Calipari’s satisfaction.
“We focused on interior defense the whole week,” Wheeler said. “We were making sure that was strong.
“We kind of got lazy a little bit as far as closing out (on three-point shooters) with high hands. In college basketball, anyone can make a shot, especially when you don’t have a hand up.”
Miles College made that immediately obvious by making their first six three-point shots and leading by as much as 36-26 in the first half.
A famine followed the feast. The Golden Bears missed their first nine three-point shots of the second half, and 11 of the first 12 attempts.
“We’re closing with our hands down,” Calipari said. “It’s disappointing. …
“In the two games, hopefully we’re better defensively than we’re showing right now.”
Wheeler spoke of defense as a “matter of pride.” And he exuded such pride in the game.
“You’ve got to take the matchup personally, knowing this guy is not going to score on me,” he said. “He’s not better than me.”
Calipari also noted how Wheeler contributed verbally.
“He was coaching in every huddle,” the UK coach said. “He was talking to guys. He was getting on guys. He was encouraging guys.”
Washington did the same thing, Calipari added.
Wheeler does not aspire to be a coach. “My big thing is I want to be a GM at some point of an NBA team,” he said. “That’s been a goal of mine, a dream job after basketball.”
Wheeler said he tries to be encouraging, but …
“Also holding dudes accountable because a team like us, when we’re really talented, we’ve got to hold each other accountable,” he said. “That’s the only way we’re going to get better.”
Season opener
No. 10 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Duke
When: 9:30 p.m. Tuesday
What: Champions Classic
Where: Madison Square Garden in New York
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 9:06 PM.
