INDIANAPOLIS — There Dakari Johnson was, the No. 9 overall player in his class, relegated to a reserve role as his fellow freshmen started and starred.Naturally, it got to him.”It was tough at first, just not getting the minutes early in the season,” Johnson said.Johnson had his moments in November and December — including a 10-point, seven-rebound performance against Eastern Michigan — but just as often would be a nonfactor, albeit a very large one.Accustomed to being a featured post-up presence on high-school teams that hardly lost, the normally jovial Johnson found himself sulking. Now that he’s started six straight postseason games as Kentucky (27-10) has raced into an Elite Eight matchup with second-seeded Michigan (28-8), Johnson has come to realize that was only on him.”You can kind of call it selfishness,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t happy not getting the ball and stuff like that and not really paying attention on what I needed to be doing, which was defending and rebounding and just letting the offense come to me.”It was right after UK’s short break for Christmas that Johnson came to understand that. In the days before the Wildcats’ regular-season showdown with Louisville, John Calipari summoned the 7-footer for a meeting, sensing Johnson’s displeasure with his role.”He just told me all the things I needed to do to increase my play and just listen to him,” Johnson said. “Just focus on defending and rebounding and everything else will come.”It took some time, but now it’s coming in a big way.After playing single-digit minutes nine times before Jan. 18, Johnson has started all but six games since, including his best game as a collegian in the Sweet 16 against Louisville. In UK’s remarkable comeback win, Johnson had a career-high-tying 15 points and six rebounds, capitalizing on the size advantage he had over the Cardinals and even showing off the open-floor ability he’s developed as his conditioning has improved.”You know, I just played hard for my team,” Johnson said on Friday night. “I just tried to get on the offensive rebounding and just tried to make some good post moves just to capitalize for us.”No one was happier to see that than Julius Randle, who was Johnson’s roommate when the two arrived in Lexington over the summer. Randle, like Johnson, dealt with frustration early in the season. Losses piled up at a much faster rate than anyone expected for the nation’s preseason No. 1 team. Randle had a hard enough time with that alone, which only strengthens his admiration for Johnson, who rode the bench for many of those early defeats.”The biggest thing is at any given moment Dakari could have just let go of the rope,” Randle said. “But all he did was work hard. He didn’t complain and his hard work is showing up now.”Randle hopes that continues. And frankly, after Friday night, it’s going to have to for UK’s magical March Madness run to last into April.Willie Cauley-Stein, the player with whom Johnson has split time at the five position, went down with a left ankle injury against Louisville. He hasn’t been officially ruled out for Sunday’s 5:05 p.m. tip-off, but Coach Cal termed the sophomore “doubtful.”Johnson, who played a career-high 31 minutes after Cauley-Stein left early in the first half against Louisville, isn’t overcomplicating the task he’ll be faced with in playing an expanded role.Though he’ll assume many of his minutes, Johnson can’t afford to fall into the trap of trying to become Cauley-Stein. He’s not going to develop Cauley-Stein’s quick-twitch athleticism and shot-blocking ability overnight, so he may as well focus on what he does well.”Just keep on doing what I’m doing, just bringing energy to the team,” Johnson said. “Probably playing more minutes and sustaining that.”He was also sure to point out that fellow freshman Marcus Lee, who hasn’t played double-digit minutes in a game since January, will need to be ready as well. Lee saw one minute of second-half action against Louisville.Whether it’s Johnson, Lee or Randle at the five in UK’s “small” lineup, the Cats will have a size advantage on the Wolverines, who feature just one player in their regular rotation taller than 6-8. But just as Johnson learned that his pedigree wasn’t going to earn him anything on its own, so too will UK have to make that edge pay off on the floor.”We have a size advantage but also Michigan’s a very physical team,” Johnson said. “So I really don’t think that’s a big factor for us. We just have to go out there and compete.”To bring you more expansive coverage, CoachCal.com and Cat Scratches
will be joining forces for the postseason. You can read the same great
stories you are accustomed to from both sites at CoachCal.com and
UKathletics.com/blog, but now you’ll enjoy even more coverage than
normal.