4-Point Play: The end of regular season action is (almost) here
It’s hard to believe the end of the college basketball regular season is here, one week to go until we turn the page toward the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. Until then, though, there is business to take care of.
First up? A date with the Vanderbilt Commodores inside Rupp Arena on Wednesday.
John Calipari broke down his team’s win over Arkansas on Saturday and discussed what was next for Kentucky with postseason action set to begin next week. Let’s discuss what he had to say during his call-in radio show tonight on 4-Point Play, shall we?
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How DJ Wagner is helping Tre Mitchell return to form
If there’s anyone who knows what it’s like to fight through adversity, it’s Wagner. The freshman guard has been dealing with a lingering ankle issue all season, missing four total games — one vs. UNC Wilmington and three more during SEC play — and struggling to find his footing upon return. After scoring in single digits five straight times in February while missing 15 straight threes, he’s responded with back-to-back double-figure performances, highlighted by a 19-point effort vs. Arkansas.
Mitchell is in a similar boat, missing two games with a back issue, then another four with a shoulder injury. He made his anticipated return vs. Arkansas, but scored just two points on 0-5 shooting with three rebounds and two turnovers in 16 minutes.
Coach Cal had to stop practice this week when the fifth-year senior got frustrated about his play.
“I had to stop a couple times in practice because he missed some plays, missed a shot,” Calipari said. “I called the team, ‘DJ, get with him and tell him how it’s gonna probably be for another week.’ You’ve got to live with it and work through it, go from there.”
Jordan Burks has ‘wow’ potential
He may not be playing real minutes right now with the team back to full strength, but that’s not stopping Coach Cal from buying stock in the 6-8 wing’s future.
In fact, Calipari predicts Burks will be the name we’re all talking about down the road, a player with true ‘wow’ potential.
“I still think at the end of the day from this team, when we look back and six, seven years from now, eight years, we will be talking about (Jordan Burks) has busted through more than most of the other guys,” he said. “He has all that it takes and he’s working on himself mentally, all of the things you’ve got to do to be mature, be professional. How about, he’s a good player, but he’s playing behind some guys that are a little better than him right now?
“Maybe not in two years, but right now they’re ahead of him. He hasn’t been playing ball as long. I’m telling you we’re all going to look and say, ‘Wow.’ He’s been a great kid.”
Reed Sheppard pushed for more Big Z
Wonder what’s led to Zvonimir Ivisic’s spike in minutes? A conversation between Coach Cal and Reed Sheppard didn’t hurt.
Big Z has combined for the same number of minutes in his last three games (61) as his first eight as a Wildcat. And in those three games, he’s averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per contest, by far the most productive stretch of his young career.
It all comes after Sheppard pulled Calipari aside and told him to give Ivisic a shot.
“Reed came to see me and he said, ‘Coach, Z is pretty good, especially in this pick-and-roll stuff.’ I said, ‘I know, I know. You and I are on the same page.’ He said, ‘Coach, you have to remember he didn’t play for six months. Six months,'” Calipari said. “He’s just starting now to get his legs underneath him and learn some of the stuff, especially defensively.”
That’s come with a condition on Ivisic’s part.
“The only challenge I gave to him, I said, ‘Z, if you want to play more, you’re going to have to rebound defensively,” he added. “If you don’t rebound and you’re not guarding, I’m going to play these other guys. If you do those two things, it’s easy to leave you in the game. Your offense is just your feel for it. He’s doing good.”
Cal hates 9 PM tips like the rest of us
If you’re dreading Wednesday’s late-evening tipoff vs. Vanderbilt, you’re not alone. Sure, it’s Senior Day and it will be fun to celebrate Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell, but that doesn’t mean the wait will be fun.
The guy coaching the team from the bench isn’t even looking forward to it.
If he’s able to get up for it, though, he hopes Big Blue Nation does too. After seeing the way fans helped push Kentucky across the finish line against the Razorbacks this past weekend, Calipari wants to see a similar atmosphere inside Rupp Arena for the 9 PM ET tip.
“Our fans stood up and just carried us over the finish line. That’s our fans. We’re going to need you on Wednesday,” he said. “And yeah, I know. It’s nine o’clock. I feel like taking the game off too, nine o’clock games. I hate nine o’clock games. But you know what? I’m going to take a nice nap and I will be ready to go. We need everybody, we need even the people that are a little older now.”
A fair warning: Coach Cal will not be participating in postgame radio no matter how things go on Wednesday — at least not in person. His focus will be on getting home and turning his attention to Saturday in Knoxville.
“I’m going to announce this right now: the game is going to end so late, I don’t think I’m going to do radio after,” he added. “How about we do this: I get in my car and go home so I can get to bed by midnight because we’ve got a Saturday afternoon game on the road? I’ll do it in my car. Just please let me leave and go home and try to get to bed so I can stay refreshed. Right now, you can tell I’m in great shape, I’m ready to go.”
Learn more about Andy Luedecke and franchise ownership through these resources:
Andy’s Story
Why a Franchise
Service Based vs Brick and Mortar
Semi Absentee Ownership
The Process and How It works
Book time with Andy: Andy’s Calendar
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