Will Wade forgot to gameplan for Bryce Hopkins

Bryce Hopkins needed fewer than two minutes of game clock to set his new career-high. Will Wade must’ve forgotten he was on the Kentucky roster.

During UK’s 71-66 win over the LSU Tigers on Wednesday night at Rupp Arena, Hopkins had his signature moment of the season. The 6-foot-6 freshman forward finished with 13 points and four rebounds on 5-6 shooting in 16 total minutes. His previous career-high was just seven points all the way back on Nov. 26, which he surpassed in the middle of UK’s comeback run against LSU. Hopkins was the engine that pushed Kentucky ahead in the second half to overcome a 31-23 halftime deficit.

“What he did today is he rebounded, he went to the offensive glass, he tried to guard, he was involved in everything. Made a stick-back, makes a 15-footer, but there was nothing like crazy, crazy. But we’re all talking about him because he did what the team needed him to do,” UK head coach John Calipari said postgame. “And he did it because I said I’m playing guys that are gonna fight. If you’re not fighting and I’m not playing you. And I went with him. The team was so happy for him, and so was I.”

LSU executed its first half gameplan to near perfection. The Tigers hit a few 3-pointers it normally doesn’t and saw Xavier Pinson drop 16 points. If anything, Kentucky should have felt lucky that the hole was only eight points. Without TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler in the backcourt, the score easily could have looked much worse. LSU head coach Will Wade broke out a trapping defense that gave the Kentucky backup backcourt all sorts of fits.

But John Calipari broke out his secret weapon in the second half: a rookie who was averaging just 3.8 minutes per game during SEC play. Calipari didn’t change his scheme or anything like that though. He simply told Hopkins and the rest of his teammates to start penetrating the paint.

After playing a first-half stint that saw him fail to put up any stats, Hopkins returned with 18:30 left in the game and quickly went on an individual tear.

He made his first bucket, a mid-range jumper, at the 17:16 mark. That shot put his team down six. At the 15:33 mark, Hopkins was up to nine points and Kentucky was ahead by three. The ‘Cats would not trail for the rest of the evening. He was attacking the rim with confidence, rising up for jumpers, and getting to the free-throw line effectively.

LSU and Will Wade simply had no answer for the versatile wing from Illinois.

“I feel like tonight I just tried to go in with a free mind and just let the game come to me,” Hopkins said postgame. “I went in, I wasn’t trying to do too much. I just tried to go in with energy and play defense and then just let my offense come to me.”

how about bryce pic.twitter.com/GfAY8JAPM6

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 24, 2022

The early buzz in the preseason was that Hopkins might be one of the team’s top players. But a minor back injury early in the year set his development back and knocked him down the rotation. However, with a quality performance now under his belt, a late-season resurgence could be on the table. Any additional production from him just makes Kentucky that much more difficult to prepare for.

“I think we’re gonna need Bryce on our NCAA Tournament run,” Calipari continued “I’ve said it to you guys from day one. Some of it is he fought it. He fought it. He was behind some guys, they were playing well, and you had some opportunities you didn’t take advantage. But, he’s practiced, he’s being coached, he’s coming in the gym, he’s spending extra time. That was big.”

Calipari has harped this season on the idea of being the “next man up”. Kentucky has seen Daimion Collins, Lance Ware, and Jacob Toppin all embrace that mentality through breakout games at critical moments. Hopkins continued to wait for his opportunity, and he finally made his mark.

But no one was happier about his performance than his teammates. At one point, Jacob Toppin nearly tackled him at halfcourt out of excitement.

“I’m so proud of Bryce,” UK center Oscar Tshiebwe said postgame. “You don’t even know how proud we are of him. We are cheering for him. For him to come out like that and knock down some buckets, it really helped us. He really helped us come back in the game. I am proud of him. I told him that this is your opportunity to show what you can do, and whatever you do, you’re forcing Coach to play you more. That is what it is all about, so I am so proud of him.”

“That whole bench was cheering for Bryce,” Calipari added. “They were so happy for him. Just like they were for Daimion (Collins) down at Alabama.”

Will Wade probably thought he had UK figured out with both Wildcat point guards on the sidelines. Unfortunately, he forgot to prepare for Kentucky’s ninth man.