At least TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler got to knock the rust off

Kentucky didn’t pull off the win today at Arkansas, but for the first time since Feb. 15, TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler were on the floor. Washington has been recovering from a leg injury suffered vs. Florida on Feb. 12, while Wheeler hurt his wrist at the end of the game in Knoxville eleven days ago. Neither started today for Kentucky but checked in at the first timeout.

As expected, there was some rust to knock off. In the first half, Wheeler and Washington combined for six points on 2-11 from the floor, two turnovers, and two assists. Wheeler played 12 minutes, Washington 17. In the second half, they found their groove. Wheeler had ten points (4-8 FG, 2-2 3PT), four assists, and only one turnover in 17 minutes. Washington chipped in eight points (2-6 FG, 3-4 FT) in the second half along with 2 assists and 2 steals in 18 minutes. Wheeler admitted it took some time to get back into the flow of the game, but in the end, he turned in his first double-figure outing (14 points) since Jan. 25 vs. Mississippi State.

“Yeah, definitely [there was some rust],” he said after. “I agree. I feel like TyTy and I had some of that rust when we first got into the game, especially in the first half. But after that, I think our play and our energy picked up in the second half. Just getting into a rhythm, feeling like it was back to normal. We made a run, we got the lead and it was kind of back and forth throughout the whole game.”

Grady and Mintz 1-5 from the floor

With Wheeler and Washington back in the lineup, the two guys that kept the ship steady in their absence went quiet. Kellan Grady only had three points (1-3 3PT) in 30 minutes while Davion Mintz went scoreless in 19 minutes. Grady’s lone three gave Kentucky the lead with 2:21 left. Calipari wanted more.

“He did not work until the very last three,” Calipari said of Grady. “I kept saying, when Oscar gets it, why are you standing? So the last play, pull it up on the play, he went four steps out and raced to the corner and got a wide-open shot. It’s the only time all game he did it and I probably said it in every huddle, ten times during the game. He and Davion both. They just stood on the perimeter and their guys are long enough to play it. You’ve got to move. It didn’t matter where you move to. Just move.”

Calipari said the fact that JD Notae came out on fire may also have had an impact. Notae had 30 points on 13-26 from the floor, along with 8 assists, 5 turnovers, and a rebound.

“They’re just not machines. They’re not going to play great [every night]. And when another guy comes in and hits first, it really affects your psyche. It does. It makes you like, ‘Oh.’ You walk in a ring and you start swinging right away, you’re the tough guy. The other guy does, you’re not the tough guy, and it’s hard. They’ll be fine.”

Eyes to March

Despite the defeat, the fact that Washington and Wheeler played today is a plus. Kentucky needed its starting backcourt to knock off the rust before making a run in March, and dropping a game on the road against a good Arkansas team isn’t the end of the world.

“It is a big thing,” Oscar Tshiebwe said of having Washington and Wheeler back. “Those people, they were recovering from injury. Even though they played today, I’m not going to blame anyone. Coming back from injury, everyone’s going to struggle a little bit. I’m glad they are back so together we can be ready for the tournament.”

Wheeler agreed.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a blessing to play this game so being out there with the guys is a lot of fun, being able to compete because you know, injuries and stuff like that can happen all the time. It can all be taken from you. I’m just taking it day by day and honestly glad that we both a chance to go out there and compete. It was a disappointing outcome, wish we had won the game, but on the good side, we’re both getting healthy and we’re both preparing for March.”

“We had some rusties in there and a couple of other guys who didn’t play very well,” Calipari said. “And we had our chances to win. We could have won anyway.”