Coach Cal wants Justin Edwards to jumpstart himself: "I believe in him. I know how good he is."

John Calipari scrimmaged on back-to-back days leading up to Kentucky’s game at Arkansas. He knew how important it was for his team to get back on track after a letdown at South Carolina, a game where the Cats were overwhelmed by the Gamecocks’ physicality. They got pounded in the fistfight — “We let them do whatever they wanted to do to us,” he said.

So Coach Cal brought the fight to practice, holding his players accountable with physical 5-on-5 action, something he’s done just once before this time of year: 2013-14, a roster also loaded with freshmen.

There’s a risk factor involved with that, though. The harder you practice, the greater the chance for bumps and bruises. That was the case with Justin Edwards on Friday, injuring his knee in the team’s final practice ahead of the trip to Fayetteville.

And if there was one kid who really couldn’t afford a setback, it was Edwards.

He fought through to play nine minutes, going scoreless on 0-1 shooting with one rebound, one assist and one turnover — a pretty rough travel in transition where he seemingly forgot to dribble on a straight line to the basket for a potential dunk. It marked his eighth consecutive single-figure game after opening the season with seven double-figure outings in the team’s first 11 games of the year.

This was also his first single-digit-minute night as a Wildcat.

How do you jumpstart a kid who is struggling both mentally and physically to break through?

“He’s gotta get himself jumpstarted,” Calipari said. “The way you build your confidence is through demonstrated performance on that court. You’ve got to build your own confidence. Part of it is (you) make really easy plays, don’t try to do crazy stuff. Don’t do stuff that’s going to lead to turnovers or missed layups or bad shots, don’t. Defend, rebound, dive on the floor, get a breakout, dunk it, make an open three, bang. All of a sudden, ‘I got this.'”

And the thing is, Edwards is putting in the work for a breakthrough. He’s pouring into his craft, but the payoff just hasn’t been there quite yet.

“Let me say this: there’s no one on my team — well, you’ve got three guys that have elevated their work. It’s been Jordan (Burks) — which, I just want him to get a chance to play — Antonio (Reeves) and Justin. Justin was in the gym the other night at 11 o’clock getting up shots,” Calipari said. “He’s trying to build, but now he’s got to carry over what he’s doing with demonstrated performance in a game. Not for me, for himself.”

Calipari knows he’s struggling, but he believes in his high-profile freshman to get things figured out. He’s got it in him.

“Like, he did some stuff today that was good. He’s not there yet, but that’s OK,” he said. “I told him I believe in him. I know how good he is.”