Cason Wallace evaluates the impact Sahvir Wheeler had on his game in Florida win

On3 imageby:Kaiden Smith02/07/23

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Kentucky‘s most recent win over Florida was highlighted by the performance of freshman guard Cason Wallace. In the Wildcats’ 72-67 win over the Gators, Wallace had a team-high 20 points, adding three rebounds and three blocks to his stat line as well. Wallace attributed some of his Saturday success to the play of point guard Sahvir Wheeler, speaking after the game about the impact of his teammate.

“It gave me a little confidence knowing that he wanted the ball in my hands,” Wallace said. “I mean when you have a teammate that doesn’t care about his own play and wants you to succeed, he’s a great person, he’s a great teammate.”

Wheeler has been in and out of the starting lineup all season for Kentucky, starting 14 of the Wildcats’ 21 games this season. Despite this, he’s still managed to be one of the best distributors and playmakers in the country, averaging an SEC-leading 5.6 assists per game.

The play of Wheeler and the Wildcats’ offense has been good to Kentucky this season, as they rank third in the SEC in assists per game, points per game, and field goal percentage.

Wallace’s game versus Florida was his second 20-point or more performance of the season, and his fifth straight game scoring in double figures. The freshman is looking like he’s peaking around the right time for Kentucky, and hopefully, he and Wheeler can continue their connection in the Wildcats’ next matchup versus Arkansas on Tuesday night.

Orlando Antigua calls Ricky Council a ‘tough matchup’

Two 16-7 SEC squads will square off on Tuesday, as Kentucky hosts Arkansas in a marquee inter-conference matchup. Both teams enter the game coming off of two straight victories, and if the Wildcats want to push their streak to three games, they might want to start with stopping Razorbacks’ guard Ricky Council. Ahead of Tuesday’s game, Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua previewed their upcoming matchup against Council.

“It’s a tough matchup, like I said, those three guards they’re playing 30-plus minutes a game and they all bring their own talents and abilities to the table,” Antigua said. “Ricky Council’s certainly one of those guys that on any given night can go off for 30.”

Council spent the previous two seasons at Wichita State, but burst onto the scene in his first season in the SEC. Council ranks second in the conference in points per game averaging 17 points per game. He’s scored 20-plus points in seven games this season and has proven himself as one of the biggest scoring threats not only in the SEC, but the entire country.

Council also has a tremendous workload, leading the SEC in minutes per game with a 35.3 minutes per game average. This may seem like an issue for the Razorbacks, but they have no issue with depth at the guard position, with players like Anthony Black and Davonte Davis more than capable of picking up the offensive slack in the backcourt.

“We have a great challenge in terms of trying to contain him. And Davonte Davis has been playing ridiculously in those last four games as well as Anthony Black,” Antigua said.