UK rides its ‘middle linebacker,’ ‘unbelievable quarterback’ to win against Ole Miss
READ MORE
Game day: No. 7 Kentucky 83, Mississippi 72
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Tuesday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Ole Miss in Rupp Arena.
Expand All
Ever wanting more, more and then even more from his players, Kentucky Coach John Calipari spoke of not being completely satisfied with Oscar Tshiebwe’s performance in an 83-72 win against Ole Miss Tuesday on night in Rupp Arena.
“I thought Oscar got bullied,” Calipari said before adding, “I did. And I was on him about it.”
Calipari then acknowledged this critique was part of a coaching mantra to hold players accountable. No exception even for an exceptional player like Tshiebwe.
“The guy was really leveraging him,” Calipari said of Ole Miss “big” Nysier Brooks.
Then, the UK coach seemed to have a reality check.
“He got 18 and 15,” Calipari said of Tshiebwe’s 12th straight double-double (and 24th on the season). “And we’re looking, like, what? C’mon. You’re better than that.
“What do we want? 30 and 20? We are all losing our minds. The main one was me.”
The victory over Ole Miss was a testament to the important roles a “big” like Tshiebwe and a point guard like Sahvir Wheeler play for Kentucky.
Yes, resilience and resourcefulness have been a trademark of this Kentucky team. A next man up belief has propelled Kentucky to a 24-6 record (13-4 in the Southeastern Conference) going into the regular-season finale at Florida on Saturday.
But is there really a next man to duplicate the impact of Tshiebwe, who leads the nation in rebounding, and Wheeler, who ranks third among Division I players in assists?
“That’s like having a middle linebacker on defense and an unbelievable quarterback on offense,” Calipari said of UK’s Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside.
Wheeler, who looked like he shook off the rust spoken about after UK’s loss at Arkansas on Saturday, scored 16 points. He had a seven-to-two assist-to-turnover ratio while also equaling his season high of two three-point baskets.
Noting Wheeler being a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year award, Calipari said, “Of all the point guards who are going for the Cousy award, I need to see one that has a bigger impact on a game.”
Calipari suggested Wheeler impacts the game by setting a fast pace on offense and being a disruptive presence on defense.
And a fast pace is a signature strategy of this Kentucky team.
“Running is very vital for what we do as a team,” Wheeler said. “I feel once that clicked back into place, I felt really good.”
For the record, Wheeler said he “never got into football.” He described himself more as a cornerback had he taken up that game.
Wheeler saluted the impact Tshiebwe can make. “Obviously, he has a ridiculous rate of rebounding,” the point guard said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing.”
Freshman TyTy Washington echoed that sentiment. Washington, who pronounced himself recovered from foot and ankle pain, noted the reassurance that comes over a shooter with Tshiebwe as a teammate.
“Having a guy like Oscar, my confidence is very high,” Washington said. “I know if I miss (a shot), 95 percent of the time he’s going to grab the rebound and put it back in. So, it’s a basket either way.”
After the loss at Arkansas last weekend, Kentucky spoke of that game providing a chance to shake off rust. Wheeler and Washington had sat out the previous two games because of injuries.
“I’m just glad we got through the injuries,” Calipari said. “It hurt us in the last game. We were a little out of sync.
“I felt this game we looked a little more in sync.”
Next game
No. 7 Kentucky at Florida
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
TV: CBS-27
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 11:11 PM.
