Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s important win against the Vanderbilt Commodores
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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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Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 82-61 win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday night.
1. Kentucky’s defense is improving
For the first 20 minutes, Kentucky’s defense looked much like what we’ve seen for most of the season. Vanderbilt hit 3-pointers early. By halftime, the visitors had shot 48.6% from the floor and scored 40 points to trail the home team by a single point.
During the second half, Kentucky’s defense looked like a different defense. The Cats held the Commodores to just 21 points on 29.6% shooting from the floor. After nailing 12 of 33 attempts from beyond the arc in its 74-69 win over the Cats in Nashville last month, Vanderbilt was 5-for-25 from deep at Rupp. The ‘Dores were 1-for-10 from 3 in the second half.
The 61 points marked the third time in the last four games Mark Pope’s club held the opponents to under 65 points. UK jumped up to No. 68 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings. Not great, but much better than a couple of weeks ago when the Cats’ ranking was in the triple digits.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” Pope said Wednesday. “We’re not great, but we’re getting better.”
2. Collin Chandler provided a boost
In something of a surprise, freshman guard Collin Chandler was first off UK’s bench Wednesday. That’s the same Collin Chandler who had played 14 minutes without scoring a point over the last four games.
Wednesday, he scored a career-high seven points in the first half. By game’s end, he had grabbed a career-high six rebounds, dished two assists and tied his season high of two steals.
“Collin’s game was a massive boost energy-wise,” Pope said. “Collin’s got a really special boost.”
And the Cats could use a boost. Starting ball handlers Lamont Butler (shoulder) and Jaxson Robinson (wrist) were unavailable again Wednesday. Freshman Travis Perry made his second start and held his own over 26 minutes. But Chandler showed he could be a more than adequate backup.
“The goal of anybody coming into the game off the bench is to provide something,” Chandler said afterward. “Basketball is a game of energy, a game of runs. If you can create energy, that will serve us well.”
3. This was an important win for Kentucky
Pope’s club needed a win Wednesday for a pair of reasons.
No. 1, the Cats had already lost one game to the Commodores, a team with a losing record (5-8) in the league. Vanderbilt has not swept UK in the regular season since 2007. After falling apart during crunch time last Saturday at Texas, another loss to the ‘Dores would have been a certain blow to the Cats’ psyche at exactly the wrong time.
Then there’s what’s ahead. Saturday brings a trip to Alabama. The Crimson Tide beat the Cats 102-97 in Rupp on Jan. 18. After losing 94-85 at home as the No. 2 team in the AP Top 25 to No. 1 and archrival Auburn last Saturday, then struggling at Missouri on Wednesday, Nate Oats’ high-scoring crew will be ready for Kentucky on Saturday.
And we have mentioned that the Cats have to play that same Auburn team at home on March 1, and finish the regular season at Missouri on March 8.
So if this shorthanded team wants to finish with at least a .500 record in the nation’s toughest conference, it needs every win it can get. It got one Wednesday to improve to 7-6 in the SEC. It was an important one.
This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 10:43 PM.
