Fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist leaned back and tilted his head up as he pondered how to quantify Anthony Davis' latest five-star performance.

"Let me see," he said. "Whom to compare him to?"

Then, voila, Kidd-Gilchrist had it.

"LeBron," he said. "That's what I think. From defense, and on offense, he's just a monster."

Davis, who led Kentucky to an 83-74 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday, demurred.

LeBron James?!

Davis smiled and shook his head. "LeBron's LeBron," he said.

And Anthony continued being Anthony, which was plenty good enough to subdue a senior-laden Vandy team that could test but not best Kentucky for a second time in two weeks.

Davis' most memorable moment came after Vandy narrowed a 66-56 UK lead to a single point. Almost four minutes remained in the game, and only a tick or two on the shot clock. Calmly catching an impromptu pass from Marquis Teague, Davis turned and shot from the right post. The ball swished as the shot clock buzzed.

"It seemed, every time they needed something, Davis got it done for them," Vandy Coach Kevin Stallings said. "He was spectacular."

Davis, who finished with a career-high 28 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, acknowledged a bit of good fortune on the play. "I had to put it up," he said. "It really got us hyped. It really got the crowd into it."

Still, Vandy lurked within five points when the shot clock again neared expiration. A palpable anxiety filled Rupp Arena. Then Davis hit a jumper from near the three-point line to give the Cats a seven-point lead with 1:06 to go.

"That's what great players do," Stallings said. "They get those plays done at the end of the clock. We played exceptional defense two or three times, and they threw them in at the buzzer against us. When that happens, it is tough to overcome."

UK (28-1) reaped a big payoff:

■ A 20th straight victory.

■ Sole possession of the Southeastern Conference championship and a chance, at 14-0, for only the third unbeaten league record since 1956. (UK did it 1996 and 2003.)

■ Extension of its home winning streak to 51 games.

Vandy, which had to overcome a 6-for-18 shooting performance by the SEC's leading scorer, John Jenkins, did not make it easy. With Jeffery Taylor (19 points) returning to form after a disappearing act against South Carolina earlier in the week, the Commodores made UK perform in the clutch.

"This team is the most efficient team in the country on offense and defense," UK Coach John Calipari said.

Vanderbilt (20-9, 9-5 SEC) made Stallings look like a prophet. He said earlier in the week that the Commodores could play competitively against Kentucky.

That's what happened as Vandy held a 37-36 halftime lead despite a productive and dominating first half by Davis, who had 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks by intermission.

Vandy led despite getting little from Jenkins, who looked uncomfortable in a 1-for-7, three-point half.

Taylor, who made only one shot and scored just four points against South Carolina earlier in the week, picked up the slack. He had 10 first-half points.

The second half did not begin with great promise for Kentucky. While establishing post position, Terrence Jones pushed off on Lance Goulbourne, the resulting third foul sending the UK forward to the bench with 18:53 left.

Jenkins, who made only one of his first eight shots (0-for-3 from beyond the arc), swished a pop-up three-pointer to bring Vandy within two, 42-40.

Vandy closed within one, 55-54. Then, as if right on schedule, Darius Miller arrived.

Miller's first basket — and first points — came with 9:59 left in the game. The floater in the lane put UK ahead 57-54. He had missed his first five shots (three from beyond the arc).

With the lead at 59-56, Miller swished a three-pointer from the right side.

Another Miller basket — this time a layup in which he knifed between two defenders for a score similar to one of his baskets at Vandy — put Kentucky ahead 66-56 with less than eight minutes left. That marked the game's first and only double-digit lead.

Davis credited a tweak in UK's offense for his newfound perimeter scoring. Calipari told him to not always break to the rim on a pick-and-roll, he said. Instead, he should mix in drifting to a spot for a perimeter shot.

Davis, who made 10 of 11 shots, couldn't recall his one miss (actually, a shot blocked by Festus Ezeli with about five minutes left).

By Saturday, Calipari apparently had run out of hosannas for Davis. The UK coach shifted to humor.

"I've been holding him back,' he said. "I'm trying to get him to stay in school another year."