Though I have many thoughts, questions, and concerns about Kentucky Basketball, I am fully aware that I am far from an expert on the matter and that we do not see any of the behind-the-scenes dynamics. Mark Pope knows infinitely more about this team than anyone on the outside possibly could. I’ve never even seen a practice.
That said, after sitting here sulking in last night’s loss to Georgia, I cannot get behind this idea that Kentucky’s stars need more rest. I think I have fatigue fatigue.
Last night, Otega Oweh was in the middle of a first-half heater when Pope sat him for a breather. Even Oweh, who had 10 points in the first 14 minutes, looked confused coming out for freshman Jasper Johnson. Dane Bradshaw said the same on the ESPN broadcast. I know that because I am watching the replay right now, wondering how an eight-point lead became an eight-point loss.
Then, after the game, Pope was asked about his first-half substitution philosophy before shortening the rotation in the second half. He defended his patterns, saying he needs to “find a way to get our guys’ minutes down.” Pope doesn’t want Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen playing 38 and 36 minutes because Kentucky’s “performance suffers as those guys get fatigued,” he said.
The box score tells another story. Two reserves finished at -16 and -13, suggesting that Kentucky’s performance suffered then, too.
[Mark Pope Says He Wants to Play Kentucky’s Bench More After Loss to Georgia]
Look, Kentucky is undeniably hampered by a limited roster and short bench, which only strengthens the argument that Pope should lean even harder on the players who are producing. February is when rotations usually tighten, not when endurance is a talking point around senior guards, one of whom is the Preseason Player of the Year.
I mean, is it too much to ask college basketball players to play most of a game? After all, with the frequent stoppages in every game and the truckloads of money paid to those playing, fatigue is a tough sell for fans. They’re naturally going to struggle with the idea that Kentucky’s best players cannot ride extended stretches in one of the last home games.
Sean Woods, a former player, echoed that point on Alan Cutler’s afternoon radio show today. Like Pope, Woods played under Rick Pitino, and though he loves Pope, he, too, wondered why Pope’s players struggle with fatigue with so much on the line.
Maybe the numbers support it. Maybe the staff sees something we don’t. But from the outside, it is hard to watch a hot hand sit and not wonder if Kentucky is overthinking something that feels so simple. Play the best guys as much as they can play. It’s crunch time.