Cats Illustrated publisher Justin Rowland hands out game grades following Kentucky's win on the road against conference foe Alabama.
Sahvir Wheeler (C) ... I gave Wheeler an okay grade after last game's 0/8 FG against Vanderbilt on the basis of him doing other things very well and impacting the game in a positive way. But against Alabama he was 0/4 FG with no points. He had seven assists but also four turnovers with three steals and three rebounds, but Kentucky was -1 in his 33 minutes this time.
Davion Mintz (B) ... TyTy Washington back to his usual. He had seven points on 3/9 shooting with two rebounds, two steals, and two turnovers. But the kicker: UK was +17 with Mintz in just 19 minutes. How much of that you want to credit him for that is up to you but it means he certainly wasn't hurting them.
TyTy Washington (B) ... TyTy Washington needed a game like this. Although he shot just 6/15, missing four of his last five shots, he scored 15 points, which was about double his highest outcome over the last couple of weeks. He also had three rebounds, two assists, a steal, but three turnovers. Kentucky was +9 when he was in the game. As David Sisk pointed out, Washington was able to capitalize against Alabama's defense, which had sealed allowed for some mid-range opportunities. It wasn't his best game of the season but it was a step in the right direction without question.
Kellan Grady (B) ... Grady played 35 minutes, most on the team, but only attempted five shots (3/5) and only attempted three triples (2/3). He scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds, didn't turn it over, and had a steal and an assist.
Keion Brooks (B-) ... Brooks scored 10 points (4/9 FG, 2/4 FT) and had five rebounds but two turnovers and four fouls. It was not close to as high as the level he has played at a couple of times recently but he still made some positive plays in important moments so this shouldn't be regarded as much of a step back.
Jacob Toppin (B-) ... Toppin only played 11 minutes in part because Brooks played 27 and Calipari seems to be riding with him more for the time being. He made his only field goal attempt, finishing with two points,two rebounds, two fouls, a block, and an assist. But the biggest thing is Kentucky was +9 in just 11 minutes, meaning the game was essentially even in the 29 minutes Toppin didn't play.
Daimion Collins (A+) ... The numbers won't make your jaw drop unless you're just judging the outcome based on Collins' other games this year. But make no mistake, it was the highlight of Collins' young Kentucky career and there's a reason he was selected to speak with the media on Monday before the team's game against South Carolina. Collins channeled the Marcus Lee we saw in the NCAA Tournament against Michigan with his above-the-rim finishing ability. He was 6/6 from the foul line and routinely found himself in the right position to make plays on both ends of the court. Collins had 10 points (2/3 FG), six rebounds, and one turnover with a +13 mark in only nine minutes. Kentucky looked like an extremely athletic team with both Collins and Toppin on the court and those minutes were important consider Tshiebwe struggled a bit.
Oscar Tshiebwe (B-) ... When I said on social media that Oscar couldn't play any worse, that's exactly what I meant. He didn't have a "bad" game in any conventional or generic sense of the term. He's just spoiled everyone. No doubt, there were some struggles against Bediako in particular but much of the game with Alabama's length in the post. Tshiebwe was only 4/13 from the field, 2/4 from the line, he turned it over three times and Alabama was one point better than Kentucky during the 28 minutes he played. But he gets at least a B- because he still had 10 points, 15 rebounds (5 offensive), and four steals. Tshiebwe's floor is remarkably high. Opponents have really been playing him very physical lately.
Lance Ware (B-) ... Ware played five minutes and, as was the case with Toppin, didn't really do anything to warrant a great or a bad grade. He made his only field goal, had a rebound, and a steal. Kentucky played Alabama even when Ware was in the game. That +/- number is very important with Ware because when he plays Kentucky is just trying to steal minutes with him. They've become a lot better at managing those situations successfully or well enough with Tshiebwe on the bench.
Coaching (A) ... Calipari should get a lot of credit for putting Collins in a situation to have a game that he can hope to build on. He identified the issues in Alabama's defense that could create favorable conditions for the freshman and it made a big difference. It seems like he loves coaching this team and is doing a good job of it, especially now that they've turned into a bit of a machine on the road as well.
