In Kentucky's ideal scenario, the lesson Ashton Hagans gleaned from watching on TV in Lexington on Saturday as his UK teammates rallied from 18 down in the second half to win at Florida is basic:
For the Kentucky point guard, less can be more.
Hagans, of course, missed the Wildcats' remarkable 71-70 comeback win at Florida due to what Kentucky described as "personal reasons."
The sophomore guard's absence in Gainesville followed a rocky outing in UK's come-from-ahead, 81-73 loss to Tennessee in Rupp Arena last Tuesday night.
In a game that the Cats lost after leading by 17 in half two, a video captured Hagans and teammate Nick Richards in an on-court disagreement.
Callers to a postgame radio show who claimed to have been sitting behind the Kentucky bench said there was an in-game conflict between Hagans and UK Coach John Calipari, too.
Though Calipari portrayed Hagans' absence in Gainesville as the player's decision to "step away," that has not stopped some from speculating it might have been a disciplinary action.
On Monday's SEC teleconference, Calipari said he had not yet talked to Hagans about the plan moving forward.
The Kentucky coach said he did not know if Hagans would start in UK's Southeastern Conference Tournament opener at 1 p.m. Friday (EDT) vs. Alabama or Tennessee.
If that were not enough drama, a video of Hagans handling what might or might not have been thousands of dollars of cash began to heavily circulate on Twitter over the weekend.
In a statement issued to Louisville television station WDRB, UK said, "We are aware of the video. It is not related to Ashton's absence from the Florida trip. As Coach Calipari said (Saturday), Ashton did not travel due to personal reasons. We do not have any further comment at this time."
Suffice to say, the optics of that video are not great. However, if the Covington Catholic fiasco taught anything, it is that it can be folly to render judgments from snippets of video on the internet.
Stay tuned.
Amid all this uncertainty, there is one thing we know: March Madness is at hand, and the last thing any team with aspirations of making a Final Four run wants is questions about its point guard play.
Yet even before last week's melodrama, Kentucky's performance at the lead-guard position had raised some red flags.
Over the last 12 games in which Hagans has played, the point guard has turned the ball over 42 times, an average of 3.5 per game.
The primary ballhandlers for teams that have won NCAA championships in recent seasons have practiced a much higher degree of ball security.
2019: Ty Jerome turned the ball over 1.6 times per game for NCAA champ Virginia.
2018: Jalen Brunson averaged 1.8 turnovers for Villanova.
2017: Joel Berry averaged 1.9 turnovers for North Carolina.
2016: Ryan Arcidiacono averaged 1.5 turnovers for Villanova.
2015: Tyus Jones averaged 2.0 turnovers for Duke.
For the full season, Hagans has 103 turnovers in 30 games, an average of 3.4.
That is a higher turnover rate than that produced by the past four Kentucky point guards who quarterbacked teams to national titles.
1978: Kyle Macy turned the ball over 2.1 times per game.
1996: Anthony Epps averaged 1.5 turnovers (amazingly, Epps turned the ball over only five times in six NCAA Tournament games in 1996).
1998: Wayne Turner averaged 2.4 turnovers.
2012: Marquis Teague averaged 2.7 turnovers.
So, as the 2019-20 college basketball season reaches critical mass, Kentucky has "quarterback questions."
A lock-down perimeter defender with a knack for securing rebounds and loose balls when games hang in the balance, Hagans brings more to Kentucky's table than just his ballhandling issues, of course.
Going forward, do you keep the ball in Hagans' hands and hope he "tightens things up" in tournament play?
Or do you give freshman Tyrese Maxey more run as lead guard?
In the win at Florida, Maxey directed the Wildcats' attack. The Garland, Texas, product shot only 1-for-11 _ but he had seven assists vs. only one turnover.
If, as UK suggests, Hagans took a step away from his team Saturday for a personal re-set, it is an admirable act that should be respected.
From Lexington, Hagans got to watch Richards' stellar second half (17 of his 19 points after halftime) in Gainesville fuel a Kentucky comeback for the ages.
He also viewed the unexpected star turns produced by UK's "non-core four" of EJ Montgomery (game-winning tip-in), Nate Sestina (nine points, six rebounds), Keion Brooks (10 points) and Johnny Juzang (10 points).
If the lesson Ashton Hagans takes from what he watched on TV is that he does not have to "do too much" offensively, the point guard uncertainty of the past week could yet lead Kentucky to a better place.
