Kentucky, ‘finally becoming a team,’ earns gut-check victory at Vandy
Kentucky’s rousing first half was no ticket out of yet another test of nerves in the final minutes Wednesday night.
After leading by 17 points inside the first 10 minutes, Kentucky had to outplay Vanderbilt down the stretch to win.
With the lead gone with less than 14 minutes left, Kentucky did enough to prevail 82-78 in Nashville.
“We let them back in on some turnovers again,” UK Coach John Calipari said. “But, like I told them, that’s a happy locker room.
“This team has been through the gauntlet.”
Except for 71 seconds, Kentucky led the entire game. But UK did not breeze to its seventh victory in 20 games (and sixth in 13 Southeastern Conference games).
Kentucky held off Vanderbilt by making eight of eight free throws inside the final 31 seconds. That capped a 24-for-25 game at the foul line.
“It’s just a mentality,” said Jacob Toppin, who made the first four of those late free throws. “If you have that mentality that you’re going to make the shots, you’re going to make the shots. … I just had all the confidence in the world that we’re going to make those free throws when they mattered.”
Vandy, 6-11 overall and 2-9 in the SEC, did not quit. When Davion Mintz fouled Scotty Pippen Jr. on a three-point shot with 3.6 seconds left, the three free throws reduced UK’s lead to 80-78.
“Did Davion foul on that?” Calipari asked reporters in the postgame teleconference. When told there was little, if any, contact on the play, the UK coach said, “We get those calls, though, too.”
Devin Askew clinched it with two free throws with 2.7 seconds left.
Mintz led UK with 18 points. Toppin chipped in a career-high 16. Isaiah Jackson added 15 points, Brandon Boston 12 and Olivier Sarr 10.
Dylan Disu led Vandy with career highs of 29 points and 16 rebounds.
While winning was better than losing, Calipari stopped short of declaring his team had turned a metaphorical corner.
“They’re finally becoming a team,” he said. “But there are points in a game where guys got to do what they do. ‘I got to do this.’”
Though Kentucky did not crumble, Calipari said he saw less resolve than the game’s story line suggested. He described a persistent “issue” as being, “raindrop hits a couple of these players, and their body language is so bad, you’ve got to get them out of the game.
“If you’re not playing well, you’ve got to say, ‘What can I do to help this team now. I can’t worry about me. I can’t shake my head on missed shots.’
“Forget it. It’s (onto the) next.”
Too many turnovers. Poor shooting.
That description of Kentucky multiple times this season fit Vanderbilt in the first half. The Commodores had more turnovers (nine) than points (eight) in the first 10-plus minutes.
With Kentucky off to a good shooting start, the lead grew to 25-8 with 10:14 left.
Jackson’s turnaround shot — part of his 15-point first half — got UK’s lead to its zenith.
UK was up 42-30 at halftime. “We should have been up 15 (or) 16,” Calipari said.
Never mind handling adversity, Kentucky did not deal with prosperity well.
Vandy outscored UK 10-2 to start the second half. Clevon Brown capped that mini run by driving about 20 feet unchallenged to a dunk that reduced UK’s lead to 44-40. That prompted a Kentucky timeout with 16:09 left. UK could not wait for the under-16 television break.
Vandy tied it at 46-46 with 13:56 left when Disu made one of two free throws resulting from a technical foul on Kentucky for having six players on the court. That marked the first time UK had not led since Jackson scored the game’s first basket 51 seconds after the tipoff.
With 12:17 left, UK picked up its seventh foul. Vandy had yet to be whistled for a foul.
Mintz, the player who made the dagger that beat Auburn on Saturday, hit a three-pointer to enable UK to regain the lead.
The familiar possession-by-possession test ensued.
With Kentucky clinging to a 71-68 lead, Mintz was Mr. Clutch yet again. The player who made the game-winning shot against Auburn Saturday hit one with 1:40 left.
When asked if Kentucky had become an empowered team, that is a group of players invested in team, Calipari was ambivalent.
“There are times I see it,” he said before adding that he also sees individualism and overreaction to adversity at times.
“You cannot do it when your mind is only focused on yourself. … We’re trying to crack through with this team. And we’ve gotten way better. Way better.”
Next game
Kentucky at No. 19 Tennessee
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
TV: CBS-27
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 11:11 PM.
