Cason Wallace's defense is going to win games for Kentucky

On3 imageby:Zack Geoghegan11/16/22

ZGeogheganKSR

Kentucky MBB freshman guard Cason Wallace was hardly bothered by the bright lights of playing in the annual Champions Classic. In what was just his third official college basketball game, the 6-foot-4 five-star high school recruit made winning play after winning play for his Wildcats.

Unfortunately, not all of his teammates followed suit. On Tuesday night in Indianapolis, No. 4 Kentucky fell in double-overtime to the unranked Michigan State Spartans by a final score of 86-77.

Wallace was remarkable, playing a team-high 44 minutes while finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, one block, and a record-tying eight steals. All eight steals came in regulation. Wallace now joins a group of Wildcats with eight steals in a single game that includes Ashton Hagans (2018), Rajon Rondo (2005), and Wayne Turner (1997). Not bad company to be compared to on the defensive end of the floor.

Wallace wasn’t lucking into these steals, either. He has lightning-quick hands and a knack for knowing when to swipe at the ball. Wallace pokes the ball away before the offensive player can realize he’s in the air space. He’s very spatially aware when playing off the ball, particularly when the action moves inside the arc.

Even if Wallace isn’t the primary defender, he finds ways to get into the action without completely abandoning his own matchup. A lot of his abilities are instinctual, but he’s so physically strong that he can simply rip the ball out of the opponent’s arms (even if it did result in one of his three fouls, much to the dismay of John Calipari). Wallace likes to lurk, too, waiting for the perfect moment to strike on a lazy pass. His 6-foot-6 wingspan is an extra advantage.

In short, Wallace is just a really, really, REALLY good defender. All of it was on display against Michigan State.

“Cason, I thought really played well. I played him too many minutes,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said after the loss before adding that he had to play the rookie guard. “It’s why I didn’t take him out. He was getting steals, he was rebounding. He had that foul, reverted to high school — I’m gonna go up and take this from him. No, you don’t do that in college… But when you talk about what he did and the difference, the impact he had on the game, it was enormous. He’s a good player.”

Wallace’s defense nearly won Kentucky the game on Tuesday night. With the ‘Cats up by one point and under 20 seconds left in regulation, he yanked the ball straight from the strong hands of Mady Sissoko off a missed shot, which forced a tie-up. Wallace was eventually sent to the free throw line for a chance to all but ice the game, however, his 1-2 mark at the stripe opened up the ensuing game-tying dunk for Michigan State.

But putting that aside, here’s a take for you: Wallace’s eight steals weren’t even the most impressive part of his performance. Nope, it was his backside block on an MSU big man after getting beat one-on-one that truly showcased his elite defensive potential. With Kentucky ahead 50-47 and under nine minutes left before the first overtime, Wallace had the wherewithal to leave his man at the exact perfect moment he’d been beat, shift to the big man under the hoop, and leap for a skying block on a 6-foot-11 center that he sent against the backboard.

Wallace’s defense ultimately didn’t win the game for Kentucky against the Spartans, but as he continues to develop (the offensive side is still a work in progress) and shine in these moments, positive results will come with it. The ‘Cats have something special in the Texas native.

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2024-03-28