I was just thinking about this when I was reading where Calipari said Mitchell is nearing a return and that he was planning to return to practice Wednesday. Mitchell was playing very well early in the season- making threes and often facilitating offense from the high post. He was very good early in the season. Then we started seeing a drop in his production and we find out he's been dealing with a back injury. He comes back from that only to hurt a shoulder and miss several more games. I'm wondering if the extra rest Mitchell has gotten because of this shoulder issue may have done quite a bit of good for his back, as well. Having a fully healthy Mitchell could be a huge boost for UK in the postseason.
The other thing that has happened is our other players have been forced into action at a very critical time of the season. We've played some key games in his absence, including Gonzaga, at Auburn, at LSU, Alabama, and at Miss St. Those are big games at a critical time. Adou Thiero has been a big beneficiary of the extra playing time. Justin Edwards had a huge break-out playing the 4 spot vs Alabama. I think Ivisic has benefited some as well- Mitchell likely would have been the 5 in that great offensive lineup we've seen a couple times. So, the improvement we've seen from these other guys is also a big benefit to the team.
Just a thought.
The other thing that has happened is our other players have been forced into action at a very critical time of the season. We've played some key games in his absence, including Gonzaga, at Auburn, at LSU, Alabama, and at Miss St. Those are big games at a critical time. Adou Thiero has been a big beneficiary of the extra playing time. Justin Edwards had a huge break-out playing the 4 spot vs Alabama. I think Ivisic has benefited some as well- Mitchell likely would have been the 5 in that great offensive lineup we've seen a couple times. So, the improvement we've seen from these other guys is also a big benefit to the team.
Just a thought.