Cason Wallace's aggression overshadows poor shooting performance

Kentucky freshman Cason Wallace shot just 1-13 from the field on Wednesday night against Mississippi State, but it was his willingness to keep shooting that ultimately played a massive role in the Wildcats’ 71-68 win in Starkville.

In light of two key backcourt players being sidelined with injuries, Wallace knew his team would need even more from him. So even though he finished with just five points vs. MSU, he more than made up for it with a career-high 11 assists, four rebounds, two steals, and just one turnover in 38 minutes while also stepping up on the defensive end.

“We had one guy go 1-for-13 and we won the game,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said after Wednesday’s win. “He went 1-for-13. I thought it was 1-for-11 and the coaches (said) ‘No, he was 1-for-13.’ But he had 11 assists. And he defended. And the biggest rebounds Cason came up with.”

For the second time in three games, Wallace played at least 38 minutes for the ‘Cats. He’s been dealing with minor injuries of his own this season, mainly a nagging back issue that still gives him fits from time to time. Against Mississippi State in a hotter-than-usual arena, some cramps prevented him from playing all 40 minutes, but he found a way to fight through and remain aggressive in a crucial contest.

“It’s not all about scoring for (Cason). He had like 11 assists today,” Fellow freshman Chris Livingston said after the win. “He ran the show for us. He didn’t really shoot that well from the floor but he can do other things — defend, run the show, be a point guard, and also be off-ball when he needs to be off the ball. He’s very valuable.”

This wasn’t the first instance in which Wallace has shot poorly this season. He also went 1-13 in the crushing loss to Alabama over a month ago and 2-13 a month before that in the loss to UCLA. But Kentucky needed every single shot from Wallace against the Bulldogs. He wasn’t even taking bad looks, either — he just simply couldn’t get anything to fall. However, his mindset never wavered. Wallace had to stay aggressive to keep the MSU defense on its toes, which allowed him to weave his way through and find open teammates.

“They knew that I was finding them,” Wallace said Friday morning of his teammates. “They were making shots so I wasn’t too down on missing shots. I knew that I was gonna find them and they was gonna knock them down. If I’m not going I know somebody else will be.”

Outside of Wallace, Kentucky shot 57.1 percent as a team in the must-have win over MSU. But the ‘Cats still needed him to stay on the attack on both ends. Especially with Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick on the mend, there isn’t an abundance of options for UK to rely on down the stretch right now. Wallace is one of them though, and his potential as a threat to score is enough for defenses to remain respectful of his abilities. His track record proves he can put up points with ease and in a hurry.

“The whole game I told him, ‘keep shooting’. We cannot afford for you not to shoot the shots,” Kentucky forward Jacob Toppin said following Wednesday’s win. “So if it goes in it goes in, but if it misses, he has to shoot the next one with the same confidence he shot the first one with.”

“I feel like I’m one of the guys that should be taking shots late in the game, so I was,” Wallace added.

But on the other end of the floor, there’s a more defined balance with being constantly aggressive. This injured version of Kentucky needs Wallace on the floor as much as possible, which means not picking up ticky-tack fouls early into a massive matchup. The issue is maintaining a high level of defensive intensity without sacrificing any grit. Luckily for the ‘Cats, that’s the only way he knows how to play.

“I feel like if I’m not being aggressive, that’s when I pick up fouls or cheap fouls,” Wallace said. “If I’m not being aggressive, that means I’m being lazy. The more aggressive I am, the easier it is for me to stay in front of them.”

Wallace finished with just one personal foul against Mississippi State and has yet to foul out of a game this season.

“My team needs me to defend,” he added. “I know it’s a hard task and I know it’s a hard challenge, but I’m not shying away from anything.”