The Wildcats open their 71st season of Southeastern Conference competition when they host 20th-ranked and undefeated Vanderbilt on Saturday. UK is 54-16 all-time in SEC openers and has won 15 of its last 16.
Kentucky enters league play with a 9-1 record and having played only four pre-conference home games. UK has one non-SEC opponent remaining as the Cats travel to South Bend, Ind., on Jan. 25 to face Notre Dame.
Among the Cats? early schedule was five neutral-site battles. Kentucky will not play its first true ?road? game until Jan. 13, when it travels to Starkville, Miss., to face another ranked opponent in Mississippi State.
This marks the first time in three years that UK has opened the league season at home. Last year, the Wildcats slipped by home-standing Tennessee, 74-71. Keith Bogans led the Cats with 20 points in a rare reserve role.
Tubby Smith is 5-1 in SEC openers while at Kentucky and 6-2 overall after going 1-1 at Georgia.
The Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt has opened the 2003-04 season on a tear, starting 12-0 for the first time in school history. The Commodores have already exceeded their total wins from a year ago (11-18 in 2003).
Four starters return for VU, including forward Matt Freije, the Preseason SEC Player of the Year, who leads the Dores in scoring with 18.8 ppg and averages 5.8 rpg. Kentucky native Scott Hundley is second on the team scoring with 10.0 ppg and also contributes 5.3 rpg.
Kevin Stallings is in his fifth season as head coach of the Commodores and owns a 74-59 record while in Nashville. He?s 197-122 for his career, which includes six seasons as head coach at Illinois State.
Series History
This marks the 163rd series meeting between the two programs. Kentucky leads the series, 126-36, and took all three meetings last season – including an 81-63 win in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.
UK won the first game in the series on Feb. 22, 1912, 28-17. The Wildcats own a 66-13 advantage in Lexington and are a perfect 26-0 in Rupp Arena, making Vanderbilt the only league opponent that hasn?t beaten UK in Rupp.
UK has won 21 of the last 22 meetings in the series, dating back to 1993.
Tubby Smith is 14-3 against VU in his coaching career, including a 12-1 mark while at UK.
Kevin Stallings earned his first win over Kentucky two years ago and now owns a 1-8 record against the Cats. Stallings also was 0-1 against the Wildcats as a player at Purdue, losing to UK in the 1979 UKIT, his sophomore season. He went on to serve as an assistant at Purdue for six seasons. He moved to Kansas as an assistant in 1989.
Commodore Connections
Kentucky and Vanderbilt have had two common opponents this season – Indiana and Tennessee Tech – and both went 2-0 against those teams.
VU senior guard Scott Hundley hails from Georgetown, Ky. and attended Scott County High School. He earned Kentucky Mr. Basketball honors in 2000.
Vanderbilt?s assistant media relations director, Andre Foushee, is a Kentucky grad and served as a student assistant and media relations intern while at UK.
Mr. Basketball Showcase
When UK and Vandy face off, three of the last four Kentucky Mr. Basketballs will be represented. VU?s Scott Hundley (Scott Co.) earned the honor in 2000, while UK?s Josh Carrier (Bowling Green) and Brandon Stockton (Glasgow) took the title in 2001 and 2002, respectively.
UK in SEC Openers
Kentucky is 54-16 all-time in SEC openers and has won 15 of its last 16 league debuts. Its only loss during the stretch came in 2002 at Mississippi State, a 74-69 decision in overtime.
