There are plenty of positives a head coach can take out of an 85-point victory, but few things were more satisfying Monday night for John Calipari than unloading his bench.

Eleven players saw action in the 125-40 thumping of Morehouse, and everyone but one – walk-on Brian Long – logged a point.

“It’s nice when we put in Sam (Malone) and Brian (Long), who we don’t use that much in practice,” Coach Cal said. “They’re in that game and they’re playing pretty well, which is kind of neat.”

Sophomore Jarrod Polson is no longer a walk-on and is firmly in the rotation, but Monday’s 15 minutes were certainly the most time he’s seen as a Wildcat, easily besting a four-minute appearance he made against Boston in last year’s regular season.

When Malone and Long entered the game and Coach Cal went to an experimental 2-3 zone, the 6-foot-2 Polson had to play with the big boys on the frontline for quite possibly the first time in his career.

Sophomore guard Jarrod Polson recorded three points and three assists in 15 minutes of action against Morehouse. (photo courtesy of UK Athletics)

“I don’t think I’ve ever played the backline, even in high school,” Polson said. “I was short. I guess it was good experience.”

Polson, however, logged most of his minutes as the lead guard, even running the offense when backup point Doron Lamb was in the game. The Nicholasville, Ky., native scored three points and dished out three assists, proving he’s more than capable of playing the one if called upon this season.

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do,” Polson said. “I know that if Doron and Marquis (Teague) get in foul trouble at some point I may be going on to take the one spot, so I’m not trying to do anything fancy. I’m just trying to keep the score positive when I’m in there and just do my job, run the team and play hard defense.”

Calipari expressed confidence in Polson’s abilities after the game and complimented the former walk-on for not trying to do too much in his extended opportunity.

“Jarrod Polson can play because he doesn’t hurt you,” Coach Cal said. “He doesn’t go in the game like, ‘Watch this,’ and then does something crazy. He just goes in and runs the team, plays the shooting guard. … Defensively he does it. He’s longer than you think. He’s 6-3 and he dunks, so he doesn’t hurt you.”

Fans that used to beseech Polson with chants to “Shooooooot it!” have quieted as they’ve come around to his ability to contribute.

“That’s kind of a good sign,” Polson said. “That means I’m in there when it counts.”

Instead, the fans’ late-game focus has turned to walk-ons Malone and Long. Polson is more than happy to shift the attention to his teammates.

“That’s what the crowd wants,” Polson said, laughing. “I was just like, ‘Shoot it. They’ll get mad even if you’re not open. Shoot it.’ ”

Long was denied an opportunity to launch a shot late in the game when a Morehouse defender closed on him, but Malone took his teammate’s advice and pulled off a crafty bank shot over center Andrae Nelson. The eruption of cheers was one of the loudest of the night.

“I wasn’t really thinking about what I was going to do with it (when I got the ball),” said Malone, not an inch taller than 5-11. “It just happened. It felt good.”

Calipari, speechless on the bench, tried to cover a smile with his hands, but he couldn’t hide his joy in front of 20,194 fans.

“It felt good to see my teammates hop off the bench and cheer for me,” Malone said. “That was the best part.”