Collin Chandler rose to the occasion in Kentucky basketball’s home win against Vanderbilt
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Game day: No. 17 Kentucky 82, Vanderbilt 61
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Wednesday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Vanderbilt in Rupp Arena.
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Kentucky’s bounce-back 82-61 win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday night at Rupp Arena marked the best college basketball performance to date from freshman guard Collin Chandler.
A former top-40 recruit in the 2022 high school class who delayed his college enrollment to serve a two-year mission trip for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Chandler originally signed to play for Kentucky coach Mark Pope at BYU.
After Pope got the UK job last April, Chandler was the first player to announce he would be joining Pope in Lexington. The months that followed have featured a carefully orchestrated return to basketball process for Chandler, along with expected ups and downs for a first-year college player. But given Kentucky’s current injury crisis in the backcourt, Chandler will now be counted on to deliver in a big way for the Wildcats down the stretch.
On Wednesday, he did.
Chandler had seven points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 15 minutes in UK’s 21-point romp over Vandy, which avenged a loss the Wildcats suffered to the Commodores last month in Nashville. This marked season bests for Chandler in points and rebounds, while tying his bests in shots made (two) and steals.
Chandler was Kentucky’s first sub into the game against Vanderbilt, entering just prior to the first media timeout. Less than 30 seconds after checking in, Chandler made a 3-pointer.
That was Chandler’s first made 3 since a Nov. 22 shellacking of Jackson State, and just his fourth made 3 of the season.
“I thought Collin gave us a massive boost tonight, energy-wise,” Pope said postgame. “… Just the energy and the intensity. Collin’s got a really special burst.”
Pope hasn’t shied away from discussing Chandler’s potential, even when playing time and on-court results weren’t going his way. Teammate Jaxson Robinson — one of Kentucky’s three injured fifth-year guards — went so far earlier this season as to say Chandler is “going to be a star.”
We’re still plenty far from that reality, but Wednesday was evidence that Chandler can rise to the occasion for Kentucky with five regular-season games remaining.
“We talked about carrying baggage with us. We just can’t afford that. So I’ve been working hard to play with a fresh mind, to not let past performances weigh on me,” an engaging Chandler said after the win. “That’s what I’ve been focusing on and I still have room to grow in that way. I think that helped me out tonight.”
That’s easier said than done.
So how has Chandler, who recently turned 21, approached this mindset?
“It’s not even the complete switch of not carrying any baggage,” Chandler explained. “But it’s going from carrying 60% baggage to 40%. So I’m working, we’re all working, to get lower and lower. So that’s the focus.”
Ever prone to a good metaphor, Pope spent time during his postgame press conference comparing Chandler’s plight to that of a bamboo tree.
The point of Pope’s comparison was that bamboo trees establish a wide-ranging network of roots underground, before having massive growth spurts above the surface.
“That’s a little bit of Collin Chandler,” Pope said, delivering the punch line. “He’s been growing big-time roots. The plays he made today, he’s been making in practice. He is going to help us in a huge way as we move down the stretch.”
UK’s patient approach with Collin Chandler shows rewards
The fact of the matter, given UK’s lack of depth at guard, is that Kentucky needs Chandler, right now, to play big-time minutes in big-time games.
The 15 minutes Chandler played Wednesday against Vanderbilt represented his third-most of the SEC season. He was on the floor for 17 minutes in UK’s home loss to Arkansas on Feb. 1 and for 15 minutes in UK’s road win at Tennessee on Jan. 28.
Chandler’s work on the defensive end against Vandy also drew praise from Pope after the game. Kentucky led by just one point at the break against Vanderbilt, but the Cats blew the game open in the second half as the Commodores shot just 29.6% from the field over the final 20 minutes.
A steady diet of Chandler should be expected for the foreseeable future, while Butler, Kriisa and Robinson all deal with long-term absences.
“I think me, Trent (Noah), Travis (Perry) are going through that same thing, adjusting and seeing how we can affect the game in different ways and pick up the slack of what we’re missing from our guys,” Chandler said. “We’re going to continue to shape that and get used to it and figure out what we can do to really help the team.”
Nights like Wednesday are wins for both Chandler and UK’s coaching staff when it comes to his college basketball development, which began this summer in Lexington in a unique way.
Pope — along with longtime assistant coach Cody Fueger — have extensive experience working with players who are returning from Mormon missions. This return-to-play process includes a slow acclimation back to the basketball court, and an 8-12 week transition period back to competitive play.
After navigating that, and slowly increasing his on-court responsibilities this season, Chandler is now in a position to play a key role for Kentucky down the stretch.
“He’s a really, really special young man, my goodness. He’s as good as they come as a human being,” Pope said of Chandler. “The conversation we kept having was, ‘We know exactly where he’s going to end up.’ He’s an incredibly special talent … We don’t know how this zigzag path is going to get you there, right?”
Collin Chandler is the latest UK basketball freshman to make an impact
Along with Noah and Perry, Chandler has been thrust into an unexpected role in college basketball’s best conference.
Pope oftentimes likes to discuss all three of his freshman players in the same breath. When asked about one player, Pope frequently shapes his response to include the other two.
On Wednesday night, Pope did so again. After being asked specifically by the Herald-Leader about Chandler’s performance, the Kentucky coach made sure to include the two commonwealth natives in his response.
“It’s been really fun to watch these three freshmen,” Pope said, in part, “because they’ve all had the whole world thrust upon them and they’ve all responded in different places in the season.”
The presence of Noah and Perry has, unsurprisingly, also been a big help for Chandler.
“It’s tough stepping in, especially in a league like the SEC and playing at Kentucky. There’s a big adjustment to it,” Chandler said. “I think we’re all in it together. It’s nice to have people to relate to and to talk to and to feed off of each other … I’m glad to go through the journey with them. It’s been fun.”
Chandler was the last of this group to have a breakout moment.
Noah’s came earlier this month in a home win against Tennessee, when he scored 11 points and knocked down three 3-pointers. On Saturday night, Perry made his first college start in UK’s road loss at Texas.
Now, it’s Chandler’s turn. And his coach expects it to be the first of many more to come.
“Collin Chandler has a skill set that’s unique to our team,” Pope said. “(If) we get all our guys back or not, he still has a space on this team, this year. The more comfortable he gets on the floor where he can do some things on the court that are unique for us that are going to be really impactful. He can be a guy that you watch down the stretch once we get to tournament play that is a difference maker.”
This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 11:55 PM.
