‘Locked in.’ Despite losing records, Kentucky and Vanderbilt riding relatively high.
For teams in eighth and last place respectively, Kentucky and Vanderbilt figure to bring a positive vibe into Wednesday night’s Southeastern Conference basketball game.
Kentucky (6-13 overall and 5-7 in the SEC) is coming off an 82-80 victory over Auburn that snapped a four-game losing streak and perhaps took away some of the sting of having lost seven of nine previous games decided by seven or fewer points.
“I actually thought we had some momentum coming from the Tennessee game,” assistant coach James “Bruiser” Flint said on a teleconference Tuesday.
On Feb. 6, UK led then- No. 11 Tennessee by 10 with less 12 minutes remaining before a late collapse resulted in a 82-71 defeat.
“We had our problems at the end of the game,” Flint acknowledged before adding that he saw a can-do carryover against Arkansas and Auburn.
“I thought our guys didn’t think we were going to lose (against Auburn),” he said. “They thought we were going to win. So, we made some plays at the end of the game that helped us.”
Vanderbilt (6-10 and 2-8) won 72-51 at Mississippi State on Saturday. It was Vandy’s biggest margin of victory in an SEC game since 2017.
“I couldn’t wait to get back and watch that film . . . ,” Coach Jerry Stackhouse said on his radio show Monday night. “I thought our guys were locked in on both ends.”
UK Coach John Calipari has touted how his teams have improved as seasons unfold and tend to play well in the final weeks. An example he has cited is the 2017-18 season. A Kentucky team led by Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a 6-7 SEC record, then won nine of its next 10 games. An NCAA Tournament bid and advancement to the Sweet 16 were part of that turnaround.
Flint suggested that appealing to players to aspire to redemption down the stretch and winning a conference tournament could be part of a Coaching 101 textbook. Not mentioned was the perception that Kentucky’s only chance to play in this year’s NCAA Tournament is by receiving the automatic bid that goes to the winner of the SEC Tournament.
“I can honestly say I think we’re starting to do that (by) playing our best basketball at the end of the season,” Flint said. “Has it been tough? Yeah, we had some tough sledding. But I think we’ve continued to get better. So, hopefully, we can continue to ride this and keep playing better the last couple weeks of the season and be going into that conference tournament with some confidence.”
Davion Mintz noted how “very optimistic” the UK coaches have been. The faith and spirit never waned despite a “super down season,” he said.
The overall objective remains the same. “How can we still pick up the pieces and try to put this puzzle together,” Mintz said.
Elements of Vanderbilt’s season surely sound familiar. Five of the Commodores’ eight SEC losses have come by seven or fewer points. Three were by three points, including the 77-74 loss at Kentucky on Jan. 5.
“Their games — a little bit — remind me of some of the games we’ve played,” Flint said.
As with Kentucky, Vanderbilt’s losses made for an openly disgruntled fan base.
Stackhouse put the victory at Mississippi State in terms of his players being able to set aside fan unhappiness.
“This was just a huge win for us, man,” he said “With all the noise that was going around, our guys just came in and locked in and kept their foot to the metal of what we’re trying to build, and what we’re trying to do. . . .
“We’re growing. Our team is coming together at the right time. We were hoping we wouldn’t be in the hole that we are in, but we’re just going to continue to fight our way out of it. I think this is a huge confidence-builder against a really good team.”
As has Kentucky, Vanderbilt has been dealing with how to better handle adversity within a game. Like Calipari, Stackhouse has talked about united purpose rather than splintering when difficulties arise.
The Vandy coach saw a turnaround when Mississippi State began to rally in the second half.
“I just thought we had our poise. . . . ,” he said. “When things break down and there’s a mistake, we’re still covering for each other. Just having that poise. When a team is making a run, ‘OK, let’s make sure we get something good.’”
This may sound familiar.
“We’re letting the ball make the right play,” the Vandy coach said. “Not in my mind, ‘I’ve got to have a shot. I haven’t shot one in a while.’ Nobody’s thinking like that. All anybody is thinking about is us.”
Wednesday
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
When: 7 p.m. EST
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 6-13 (5-7 SEC), Vanderbilt (6-10, 2-8)
Series: Kentucky leads 150-47
Last meeting: Kentucky won 77-74 on Jan. 5, 2021, in Rupp Arena
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 3:08 PM.
