"Cason Point": Wallace dishes out 9 assists and only 2 turnovers.

[Son_Of_Saul]

Case in point on why Wallace should continue starting over Wheeler. 9 to 2 assists-to-turnover ratio.

Let Wheeler come off the bench and be a sparkplug. He can accelerate the tempo when the opponent's rotation is getting tired. I like Wallace starting because opponents can't rely on a "sag on Wheeler" scheme from the tip. Plus, Wallace is better defensively.

At the end of the day, this is a great problem to have: either an all-SEC level point guard in Wheeler or a future lottery pick point guard in Wallace, both serving up the national player of the year downlow while surrounded by two of the top 10 shooters in college basketball and three of the most athletic forwards in the nation.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

By the way, our team had 20 assists last night and only 10 turnovers, without Wheeler.

That is a very good sign this early in the season.

 

[cat tat2]

2-1 ratio as a team… I’ll take that all season. Wallace may be a “special” player when all is said and done IMO.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

2-1 ratio as a team… I’ll take that all season. Wallace may be a “special” player when all is said and done IMO.

He plays under control and doesn't force things. When you get 8 rebounds out of your point guard position, you know you're dealing with a physical player.

I like that we'll have him defending opponents lead ball handlers, but he's also strong enough to take an opponent's top wing player out of the game. We have two of those guys now in Toppin and Wallace. I'm hoping Thiero or Livingston can become our third perimeter defender.

 

[Mike_Edwards]

What we have are options and depth at the position. What that means is Cal doesn’t have to be held hostage by any one player which is a good thing. At the end of the day they are both on our team. I don’t care who starts. I want them both to have a great year!

 

[HagginHall1999]

Case in point on why Wallace should continue starting over Wheeler. 9 to 2 assists-to-turnover ratio.

Let Wheeler come off the bench and be a sparkplug. He can accelerate the tempo when the opponent's rotation is getting tired. I like Wallace starting because opponents can't rely on a "sag on Wheeler" scheme from the tip. Plus, Wallace is better defensively.

At the end of the day, this is a great problem to have: either an all-SEC level point guard in Wheeler or a future lottery pick point guard in Wallace, both serving up the national player of the year downlow while surrounded by two of the top 10 shooters in college basketball and three of the most athletic forwards in the nation.

I've been an avid supporter of Wheeler but am in 100% agreement here. Wallace is a stud. He also is a good enough shooter to keep defenses honest. I'd still find 20mpg for Wheeler but primarily when you can have CJ and Reeves out there together. With Wallace it doesn't matter who is on the court with him.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

What we have are options and depth at the position. What that means is Cal doesn’t have to be held hostage by any one player which is a good thing. At the end of the day they are both on our team. I don’t care who starts. I want them both to have a great year!

Starters matter. It changes the way opponent's scheme and sets up tempo/pace for the game. It's not an irrelevant aspect to winning or losing.

I want Wallace out there to set the right tone for the game. He's big, physical, and doesn't get rattled. Wheeler's injuries completely dampen the spirit of his teammates and the UK fans. Can you imagine Wheeler getting leveled off a screen before the second timeout of a Final Four game?

I don't want to have to depend on him for anything outside of 20 minutes of sparkplug basketball off the bench. He's simply not strong enough to be depended upon.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I've been an avid supporter of Wheeler but am in 100% agreement here. Wallace is a stud. He also is a good enough shooter to keep defenses honest. I'd still find 20mpg for Wheeler but primarily when you can have CJ and Reeves out there together. With Wallace it doesn't matter who is on the court with him.

Wallace has that DeAndre Liggins mentality. We didn't have a guy like that on the 2015 team. If we did, we'd probably have won it all that year.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Wallace
Fredrick
Reeves
Oscar
Ugonna

 

[HagginHall1999]

Wallace
Fredrick
Reeves
Oscar
Ugonna

Toppin. Very versatile. Just give Ware's minutes to Ugonna IMHO.

 

[Smashcat]

He plays under control and doesn't force things. When you get 8 rebounds out of your point guard position, you know you're dealing with a physical player.

I like that we'll have him defending opponents lead ball handlers, but he's also strong enough to take an opponent's top wing player out of the game. We have two of those guys now in Toppin and Wallace. I'm hoping Thiero or Livingston can become our third perimeter defender.

I said when we got him he'd be one of the better rebounding guards since Fitch. Averaged about 7 rpg on the Nike circuit and close to 10 in high school. That said, there won't be as many available when Oscar returns.

 

[AE82]

You all are setting yourselves up for disappointment.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

You all are setting yourselves up for disappointment.

Then 0 shot at a title. There I said it.

 

[SaltyCat22]

I need me some turnovers. I had nine players commit 29 of them last night in NBA fantasy to 26 assists. Outstanding stuff.

 

[AE82]

Then 0 shot at a title. There I said it.

Ohh, okay! 🤣

 

[cat tat2]

You all are setting yourselves up for disappointment.

Care to elaborate?

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Toppin. Very versatile. Just give Ware's minutes to Ugonna IMHO.

Wallace
Frederick
Toppin
Oscar
Ugonna

 

[AE82]

Then 0 shot at a title. There I said it.

Ohh, okay!

 

[Ukgold]

Wallace
Fredrick
Reeves
Oscar
Ugonna

I would to see this line up

 

[drew_ukfan]

I’m wondering if even Cal can’t be dumb enough to sit Wallace.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I’m wondering if even Cal can’t be dumb enough to sit Wallace.

I dont think he is. I'm just afraid he starts them both and it hurts the start to the games.

 

[AE82]

Care to elaborate?

Yea. Cal has already iterated via words and actions that Wheeler will be the starting pg. Just last night in the post game, when Cal was talking about Wallace, he said it was nice to see that he had another guard who could pg if needed. Wheeler also is among the most minutes played in the exhibitions he played in.

Wallace is going to be really good for us, but he doesn't have the speed, experience or court vision that Sahvir has. Wallace does have the shooting and size advantage. Because of that, Cal will play them together a lot. There is a reason Sahvir was a Cousey finalists last year and is pre-season first team all-conference this year. He is really, really good, despite his 3pt shooting problems.

The other thing is a lot of people are getting over-hyped from the stats from beating an okay Howard team. Let's wait and see how these guys react when the competition is a lot better.

 

[HagginHall1999]

Wallace
Frederick
Toppin
Oscar
Ugonna

Ha, no I was saying Toppin at the 4. Love Reeves and CJ in together. No tinkering with Oscar 😃

Ugonna will have his time. Oscar will have foul trouble I'm sure and I look for his mins to go down a bit (from last yr) until postseason, JMHO.

I don't want the lane jammed up. Open them lanes.

 

[BlueBomb]

Why do so many of you always make such knee jerk reactions. It was one game.

There were MANY times last year that Wheeler looked like the best point guard in the country. There is absolutely NO reason to think Wallace should be the starter based on one game against a school like Howard.

That does not mean that he's not the better option. It only means that you can't tell...yet.

 

[K_TIME]

I get Howard isn't great and they're style of play was a bad idea to not try to pack it in and make it a rock fight.

- But Cason is just fine at PG...he is way better defensively and he's capable of running a team. His finishing in lane will be equal to better than Wheeler. And his shooting will be solidly better than Wheeler.
- Also as hte year plays out....le't pay attention to how team defend us with Wheeler vs. Wallace. I noticed good spacing and shooters had room to work, Toppin/Livingston had space to attack the rim at times. When Wheeler is back...many teams will go under every ball screen, and the defender will just have both feet near the FT line (which kills alot of your drives and is easy double the post).
- Finally, Frederick and Reeves played well off of each other. The floor was spaced nicely. So with Wheeler on the floor....you won't have Frederick and Reeves together much. It's really that simple.

So we'll see how it plays out with Wheeler. I think there is plenty of room for him on team. But again...he's not worthy of 30+ minutes a game with this roster. He really needs to be more like 20 mpg. I have little confidence Cal will see it that way.

 

[HagginHall1999]

I get Howard isn't great and they're style of play was a bad idea to not try to pack it in and make it a rock fight.

- But Cason is just fine at PG...he is way better defensively and he's capable of running a team. His finishing in lane will be equal to better than Wheeler. And his shooting will be solidly better than Wheeler.
- Also as hte year plays out....le't pay attention to how team defend us with Wheeler vs. Wallace. I noticed good spacing and shooters had room to work, Toppin/Livingston had space to attack the rim at times. When Wheeler is back...many teams will go under every ball screen, and the defender will just have both feet near the FT line (which kills alot of your drives and is easy double the post).
- Finally, Frederick and Reeves played well off of each other. The floor was spaced nicely. So with Wheeler on the floor....you won't have Frederick and Reeves together much. It's really that simple.

So we'll see how it plays out with Wheeler. I think there is plenty of room for him on team. But again...he's not worthy of 30+ minutes a game with this roster. He really needs to be more like 20 mpg. I have little confidence Cal will see it that way.

Agree with pretty much everything you said. I'm hopeful of Wallace getting most minutes at PG position but not holding my breath. That said, Cal may be stubborn but I don't think he is stupid. If it is clear we are better with more Wallace at PG I think we will get it. Time will tell.

 

[WildcatDJ]

Wallace, Reeves, and Frederick is our best 3 guard lineup. Very few weaknesses with those 3, and the floor spacing is great. Not sure how you play anyone that has several deficiencies over those guys...

 

[IL Wildcat]

Wheeler will start. Wallace may be right beside him. Both will get significant minutes. I'm sure Calipari will play the guy who is most deserving at crunch time depending on who we are playing, how the guys are playing, and how the defenses are playing. I think Wheeler would have excelled in last night's game, by the way. Both guys are on the team and both have their skills. I hope both have great seasons. We will need both guys at different times.

 

[TheDude73]

What we have are options and depth at the position. What that means is Cal doesn’t have to be held hostage by any one player which is a good thing. At the end of the day they are both on our team. I don’t care who starts. I want them both to have a great year!

Unfortunately, Cal has shown in the past that he holds himself hostage, even with depth at a particular position. Case in point - Brooks over Toppin. How often did we watch Keion fire 15 ft jumper brick after brick and never see the pine?

My hopes in this case is that Cal has historically favored his 5-star lottery picks over experienced players, so maybe, just maybe, he does what he should do and play Wallace with Wheeler as a backup.

 

[STL_Cat]

Wheeler will start. Wallace may be right beside him. Both will get significant minutes. I'm sure Calipari will play the guy who is most deserving at crunch time depending on who we are playing, how the guys are playing, and how the defenses are playing. I think Wheeler would have excelled in last night's game, by the way. Both guys are on the team and both have their skills. I hope both have great seasons. We will need both guys at different times.

So where does this leave CJ? My fear isn't that Wheeler will eat into Wallace's minutes. It's that Wheeler moves to the PG, Wallace slides over to the 2, and CJ is relegated to 15-18 minutes off the bench.

 

[IL Wildcat]

So where does this leave CJ? My fear isn't that Wheeler will eat into Wallace's minutes. It's that Wheeler moves to the PG, Wallace slides over to the 2, and CJ is relegated to 15-18 minutes off the bench.

Calipari was talking about this last night on the post-game show. Minutes will be difficult to distribute this season for sure. But to think Cal will sit Wheeler, a pre-season All-SEC first team selection, for any significant amount of time, is hard to realistically expect. I think some of you would kick Wheeler off the team today. I don't know if anyone has noticed, but even when Wheeler is on the floor, Wallace will start the offense at times. It happened in the Bahamas at times, and more as the games progressed. I'm not sure how the minutes will be distributed, but Cal isn't sitting Wheeler for 30 minutes a game like some here want. It's a good problem to have and Cal has to figure it out. PG isn't the only position where we have great depth. Cal mentioned it last night- there are 11 scholarship players and he's not platooning. So, minutes will be tough to come by. These guys have to push and improve to get minutes.

 

[CELTICAT]

Wheeler getting nicked up early is a blessing. It gives Cal the cover he needs to keep Wallace starting without moving him off the ball. And it's not like Wheeler is going to pull a Quade Green and leave at Christmas just because there's a better starter.

 

[STL_Cat]

Calipari was talking about this last night on the post-game show. Minutes will be difficult to distribute this season for sure. But to think Cal will sit Wheeler, a pre-season All-SEC first team selection, for any significant amount of time, is hard to realistically expect. I think some of you would kick Wheeler off the team today. I don't know if anyone has noticed, but even when Wheeler is on the floor, Wallace will start the offense at times. It happened in the Bahamas at times, and more as the games progressed. I'm not sure how the minutes will be distributed, but Cal isn't sitting Wheeler for 30 minutes a game like some here want. It's a good problem to have and Cal has to figure it out. PG isn't the only position where we have great depth. Cal mentioned it last night- there are 11 scholarship players and he's not platooning. So, minutes will be tough to come by. These guys have to push and improve to get minutes.

This is the kind of goofy leap you guys take everytime we have a discussion about Wheeler. No, I don't hate Wheeler. And no, I don't want him "kicked off the team." Goofy. I think this team's highest ceiling is with Wheeler as a spark plug off the bench. I think that would be a GREAT role for a guy like Wheeler. I don't want the guy banished from the island or burned at the stake, I just want to see our best team on the floor for the majority of minutes in the game.

 

[IL Wildcat]

This is the kind of goofy leap you guys take everytime we have a discussion about Wheeler. No, I don't hate Wheeler. And no, I don't want him "kicked off the team." Goofy. I think this team's highest ceiling is with Wheeler as a spark plug off the bench. I think that would be a GREAT role for a guy like Wheeler. I don't want the guy banished from the island or burned at the stake, I just want to see our best team on the floor for the majority of minutes in the game.

Well, you might not want that, but I think some might. I don't know how Cal will handle the minutes. People may get their feelings hurt, but he can't worry about feelings. And he will have to play the guys who are performing the best, regardless of preseason prognostications. If Wallace outplays Wheeler, he will play more, and vice versa. But I do believe Wheeler is the starter, for now. He has earned that right, in my opinion. He may lose that right, though. If Wallace continues playing like he did last night, he may win that job. As I say, it's a good problem to have.

 

[WeWant9]

I was very impressed with Wallace last night, played with composure and drive the ball well. Im happy to have both Wallace and Wheeler, they will both have games/situations where they excel.

 

[FinancialPlannerZac]

I agree with everyone's sentiment here. Thankfully, we have a long way to go to see what works and what doesn't. I would think like to think Cal will play the right combo. But yes, I definitely see Wheeler and Wallace starting together. Doubtful, but anyway we would ever see Wheeler-Wallace-Fredrick-Reeves-Oscar??

 

[UKWildcats1987]

So where does this leave CJ? My fear isn't that Wheeler will eat into Wallace's minutes. It's that Wheeler moves to the PG, Wallace slides over to the 2, and CJ is relegated to 15-18 minutes off the bench.

Cj doesn't need to play 30 a game. He will be in a body cast and out for the season bu Xmas if he does.

Honestly no one needs to play 30 a game this season, not even Oscar.

 

[3kidsandme]

Unfortunately, Cal has shown in the past that he holds himself hostage, even with depth at a particular position. Case in point - Brooks over Toppin. How often did we watch Keion fire 15 ft jumper brick after brick and never see the pine?

My hopes in this case is that Cal has historically favored his 5-star lottery picks over experienced players, so maybe, just maybe, he does what he should do and play Wallace with Wheeler as a backup.

So he favored Brooks over Toppin yet Brooks transferred and Jacob is still on the team looking like a key cog on a title contender? Brooks was not that bad of a player. He shot 49 percent from the floor which is very very good for a 3/4 combo. His 3 point shooting left a lot to be desired for sure. If he shot 22 percent from 3 and 49 percent overall then he must not have been bricking those mid range jumpers you speak of.
Toppin is a very nice player and got plenty of minutes last year. Brooks Averaged 10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 24 MPG Toppin averaged 6.2 ppg and 3.2 rpg in 17.7 Mpg. It’s not like there was this huge gap in production between the two players lol. I’m not saying Cal is perfect and does not make coaching mistakes he does. Brooks was a returning 5 star you speak of and he only played 24 MPG and had to concede some of his time to a lower ranked Jacob Toppin. In your very post you mention the fantasy that Cal will play his 5 stars over lower ranked players and then you talk about playing Cason a 5 star over Wheeler who was not a highly ranked recruit. So if he plays Wheeler like we all expect then what’s the story line going to be now? Wheeler is going to play a ton of minutes at PG over Cason a 5 star so maybe just maybe this notion Cal favors his 5 stars over better lower ranked players is Bullshit lol.

 

[STL_Cat]

Cj doesn't need to play 30 a game. He will be in a body cast and out for the season bu Xmas if he does.

Honestly no one needs to play 30 a game this season, not even Oscar.

I agree, I'd be more than happy with CJ getting 25-28 mpg. He should play no less than 25 mpg, IMO

 

[westerncat]

Wallace
Frederick
Toppin
Oscar
Ugonna

Ugonna is not going to start ! Put Toppin in his place and you have your starters. I think these will be your starters against Mich. St.