UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY at VANDERBILT
MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM | NASHVILLE, TENN.
JAN. 29, 2019
ATTENDANCE: 12,298
 
Final Score: No. 7/6 Kentucky 87, No. Vanderbilt 52
                                                             
Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky extended its winning streak to seven in a row and six straight in league play since losing the opener. The Wildcats are now 17-3 overall and 6-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt falls to 9-11, 0-7 in the SEC
• Kentucky leads the series 147-47 and has now won six straight in the series.
  • That’s the longest winning streak by either team since the Wildcats won 18 in a row from 1994 to 2002.
• UK improved to 58-29 vs. Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, and has won its last three in Memorial Gymnasium. 
• Kentucky’s 35-point victory was its largest vs. Vanderbilt since a 106-44 victory on March 5, 2003.
• It was UK’s biggest victory in Nashville since winning by 39, 120-81 on Feb. 7, 1996.
  • It’s Kentucky’s second-largest margin of victory in Nashville in the series’ history.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats will remain on the road and visit Florida on Saturday. Game time is 4 p.m. and it will be televised on ESPN.  
  • It’s the first of two matchups between UK and Florida.

 
In the First Half

• Kentucky started Ashton Hagans, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, PJ Washington and Reid Travis for the 13th time this season. UK is now 10-3 with that lineup.
• After a slow-paced game in the first meeting in Lexington, the Wildcats were pushing the pace early in this one. Kentucky took 12 shots by the first timeout, making six of them. Washington had six early points.
• Leading 12-10 with 13:51 left in the half, UK took full control of the game with a dominating 33-5 run to close the opening stanza.
  • The overall run included several “smaller” runs. The first was a 14-0 stretch highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers by Jemarl Baker Jr. and Hagans and back-to-back buckets by Herro.
  • UK also went on a 9-0 run over the final 1:43 of the half, which included six straight points from Washington.
• Vanderbilt went 6:09 without a point until Clevon Brown hit a free throw with 1:55 left in the half.
• Kentucky held Vanderbilt without a field goal for the final 8:04 of the half. 
• UK limited Vanderbilt to just 5 of 20 from the floor with 14 turnovers.
  • Vanderbilt’s 15 first-half points were the fewest UK has given up in a half since holding UCLA to just seven in the first half on Dec. 20, 2014.
  • The five field goals are tied for the fewest UK has allowed in a half this season.
  • The 14 turnovers are the most Kentucky has forced in a half since turning Texas A&M over 15 times on Jan. 3, 2017.
• After missing all eight of its 3-point attempts in the first half vs. Kansas, Kentucky hit 5 of 10 Tuesday’s first half, including two by Baker.
• Coming off back-to-back 20-point games last week, Washington had a monster first half with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his team-leading sixth double-double.
• UK led 45-15 at halftime.
  • The Wildcats’ 30-point halftime lead was its largest at intermission since leading UCLA by 34 (41-7) on Dec. 20, 2014, in the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago. 

 
In the Second Half

• The original starting five of Hagans, Herro, Johnson, Washington and Travis started the second half.
• Vanderbilt made a layup at the 18:49 mark, meaning Kentucky held Vanderbilt without a field goal for a total of 9:15 of game time going back to the first half.
• UK was 5 of 7 from behind the arc in the second half.
• Nick Richards scored 11 points and blocked three shots in the second half.

 
Team Notes

• The victory was UK’s largest road win of the John Calipari era. The previous mark was 34 at South Carolina in 2012.
  • It tied for Kentucky’s fourth biggest margin of victory in SEC play during the Calipari era.
• Vanderbilt scored 52 points. UK is a perfect 69-0 under Calipari when keeping the opponent to 55 points or less, including 5-0 this season. The Wildcats are also 164-7 when limited the opponent to 63 points or less under Calipari.
• The Commodores shot only 37 percent from the field. UK is 173-15 under Calipari when keeping the opponent at 40 percent or less, including 8-0 this season.
  • UK has held five of its last six opponents to 40 percent or less.
• Kentucky dominated in the paint again with a 32-12 points in the paint advantage. UK is now 15-2 this season when scoring more in the lane.
• During the current seven-game winning streak UK has …
  • Held opponents to 60.0 points per game.
  • Limited opponents to 37.9 percent from the field.
  • Limited opponents to 31.9 percent from 3-point range.
• Kentucky is now 236-40 vs. unranked competition under Calipari.  
• UK improved to 250-5 (.980) under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any point in the game.
• UK hit 10 3-pointers tonight, tied for the second most of the season.

Player Notes  

• PJ Washington continued the best stretch of his career with 26 points and 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double.

  • He has three straight 20-point games for the first time in his career.
  • He’s the first player with back-to-back 20-10 games since Julius Randle did it three times Nov. 8-12, 2013.
  • He now has a team-best six double-doubles.
  • He’s averaging 22.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and two 3-pointers a game during this three-game streak. He’s shooting 53.2 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from behind the arc.
  • He had 18 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.
• Nick Richards had a solid second half and finished with a season-high 14 points and four blocks.
  • He scored 11 points and blocked three shots in the second half.
  • It’s his team-leading fifth game with three or more blocks.
  • He’s blocked nine shots in a combined 23 minutes over the last two games.
• Tyler Herro added 12 points and three steals.
  • It’s his 15th double-figure scoring game of the season, behind only Keldon Johnson.
• Keldon Johnson scored all 11 of his points in the second half.
  • He knocked down three 3-pointers for the second game in a row and fourth time overall.
  • He’s scored in double figures in a team-best 16 games.
• Ashton Hagans had another solid all-around game with seven points, six rebounds and team-high eight assists.
  • He’s dished out eight or more assists in three straight games and six or more in four straight.

 
Calipari

• Calipari is now 292-67 at UK.
• Calipari has a 737-207 all-time on-court record.
• He is now five wins away from tying Joe B. Hall for the second-most victories by a UK head coach in program history.
• Calipari improved to 17-4 vs. Vanderbilt.