As you saw in this morning’s edition of The Commercial Appeal, senior Joey Dorsey is probably going to come off the bench tonight.

This is a story that requires a little news-analysis. First, this is a big deal. The Tigers are 21-0. They’re No. 1 in the country and trying to win a national championship. Dorsey has started every game he’s been available to start since his freshman year. He’s one of the leading rebounders in the country. You don’t make a drastic change like this unless there’s a reason.

Is the reason Calipari gave legitimate? On some level, you can see what he’s talking about. But you simply don’t put Joey Dorsey on the bench to help your bench. It doesn’t pass the smell test. Is this “punishment” for something? I have no reason to believe that Dorsey was involved in an off-court incident recently, based on conversations with sources. I do have reason to believe that the coaching staff was very upset with Dorsey on Saturday for basically taking himself out of a close game. What was said, or what transpired behind closed doors, who knows. But this is, in my view, a power play by Calipari. John isn’t stupid. He won’t talk about it much publicly, but he knows Dorsey has been a no-show in two straight Elite Eight games. The question is, how much can you afford to count on him showing up this time? So perhaps you’re at the point where you either get him to play the way he’s capable of playing, or you get used to playing without him.