J.D. Hall 
Kentucky Basketball
Kentucky was coming off a collapse in the final four minutes at Texas last Saturday. Vanderbilt was coming in looking for a season sweep Wednesday night. The Wildcats were, once again, shorthanded with Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson out, but they secured a big 82-61 win in Rupp Arena.
Both teams came out red-hot from the floor. Kentucky started 4-5 from the field and 5-5 from the free-throw line, including 2-3 from three-point range. Vandy was nearly as good, starting 5-7 from the field and 2-4 from three, with the score at 15-12 at the first media timeout. The high-scoring affair continued, and it was 23-21 Kentucky at the under-12 timeout.
Kentucky cooled off from the floor for the rest of the half. After starting 4-5 from three, they finished the first half just 1-10 and 12-24 from the field overall. Vanderbilt also cooled off, making just 4-15 from three and shooting 17-35 overall, but Kentucky led by just one at halftime, 41-40.
Kentucky came out of the break and pushed the lead to 13 at the under-12 timeout, and it continued to grow from there. There was a renewed energy on the defensive end of the floor, and the Cats were scorching hot shooting the ball.
Kentucky shot 65.4% (17-26) from the field and 50% (6-12) from three in the second half. They were also perfect from the free-throw line in the game, going 13-13. It was one of the most efficient halves of basketball the Wildcats have put together this season.
Offense wasn’t the only area where they excelled—it was also one of their best defensive performances of the season, ranking second in efficiency only to the South Carolina game in league play. Vanderbilt shot just 29.6% (8-27) from the field and only 10% (1-10) from three in the second half. Kentucky’s defense was so effective that they allowed Vanderbilt to score only 21 points after halftime, just 0.656 points per possession.
Vanderbilt was led by Devin McGlockton, who posted a double-double with 14 points (5-10 shooting, 2-6 from three) and 10 rebounds. Joining him in double figures were Jaylen Carey with 12 points (6-11 shooting) and Jason Edwards with 10 points (4-12 shooting, 1-6 from three).
Otega Oweh was, once again, the leading scorer for Kentucky, putting up an efficient 20 points on 7-10 shooting, 1-1 from three, and 5-5 from the line. He was also the team’s leading rebounder and has scored in double figures in every game this year. He was joined in double figures by three others: Amari Williams with 17 points (6-6 shooting, 5-5 from the line). Williams also became the first player, at either the Division I or NBA level, to score 15+ points, record 4+ blocks, shoot perfectly from the field and free-throw line, and commit zero fouls since Pau Gasol on November 21, 2010. Kobe Brea had a bounce-back game with 12 points (4-6 shooting, 3-4 from three) after scoring just four points and not making a three against Texas. Andrew Carr also started to look like the player we saw at the beginning of the year, scoring 11 points on 5-8 shooting.
Kentucky even got a spark from Collin Chandler, who scored a career-high seven points in the first half while also pulling down six rebounds, dishing out two assists, and grabbing two steals in just 15 minutes on the floor. It was a flash of the potential we saw in the preseason and a glimpse of the type of player he can be for Kentucky.
This was a must-win game for the Cats, and they answered the bell. However, a tougher test awaits on Saturday. The Cats travel to Tuscaloosa to face #4 Alabama, who will be coming off another big loss before playing Kentucky. The Wildcats will need to bring the same level of effort, energy, and focus they displayed in the second half against Vanderbilt for the entire game on Saturday, but they’ve shown they have it in them. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM on ESPN.
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