Cason Wallace injured, limps to locker room vs. Vanderbilt

Kentucky star freshman Cason Wallace went down with a lower leg injury in the second half vs. Vanderbilt. He had to be helped off the court and later limped to the locker room to get the injury checked out.

The significance of his injury is unknown and he is questionable to return. Wallace had six points on 2-of-7 shooting when he went down and Vanderbilt opened up a double-digit lead on the Wildcats after Wallace left the game.

Not only is Wallace’s status up in the air, but Kentucky’s other point guard, Sahvir Wheeler, underwent a minor procedure and could be out for a few weeks. Without both of their point guards, it’s up to Antonio Reeves or CJ Fredrick to become Kentucky’s primary ball handler.

John Calipari goes in-depth on how Kentucky grades player performances

Kentucky has had an up and down season but has likely done enough to secure an NCAA Tournament berth at this point. Coach John Calipari knows it’s been a slow grind to get where the team’s at right now, one he’s helped bring about based on how Kentucky grades player performances.

He’s meticulous about grading players on every single element of their gameplay.

“How about this. There’s things that are rated every single game,” Calipari said. “One, sprints. You get graded an A, B, C, D or F. Every time the ball changes defense to offense, you sprinting. We also grade offensive and defensive rebound attempts. Who do you think is the highest on our team? Oscar (Tshiebwe). Who is the second-highest on our team? Chris (Livingston). Because he attempts so much he gets a chance to rebound.”

While some of those player grades probably come across simply by watching the eye test, it’s not always about what’s happening directly around the ball.

Sometimes the help is just as important.

“We also grade weak-side defense,” Calipari said. “So when the game ends they’re graded on every possession they’re in to hold them accountable. They’re really listening and following gameplans. We’re not breaking down and especially defensively, it was ugly for a while.”