Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt
When Kentucky and Vanderbilt met on the hardwood in January, it did not take long for the Commodores to take control of the game. Vandy scored the first seven points, led the game by 20 at halftime and came away with an 80-55 win over the Cats.
On Thursday, during his weekly press conference, UK head coach Mark Pope was asked if he would even use the film from the first game as he prepares to face Vanderbilt for a second time this season.
“It’s not fun to watch the film,” Pope said. “Vandy is a terrific team. Their point guard is electric. Duke Miles is back, he was really good last night. They play with a gritty physicality that’s really impressive. I think their front line is really special. They are undersized but they’re really physical.”
If there was a silver lining to the Vandy loss in January, it’s the fact that Kentucky seemed to be motivated by what happened. The Cats won their next three games (at Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee) after the loss.
Pope knows that the team he’s coaching now is in a different spot than they were just one month ago.
“I think our focus has grown,” Pope said. “I think we changed a lot of the ways we’re approaching practice. I think our ability to channel emotions is better. I think our understanding of what it takes to compete in this league every single night is better.”
Kentucky has a chance to show just how much it has grown over the last month when Vanderbilt comes to Rupp Arena on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN). Pope is hoping for a much different game, and a much more favorable result, this time around against the Commodores.
Know Your Opponent: Vanderbilt
Kentucky hosts Vanderbilt for a rematch with the Commodores on Saturday afternoon.
• Kentucky leads the all-time series, 158-51, and is 87-16 in Lexington
• The Cats fell on the road at Vanderbilt on Jan. 27, 80-55. Otega Oweh led all scorers with 20 points
• Last season in Lexington, the Wildcats earned an 82-61 victory over the Commodores with Oweh again scoring 20 points
• Louie Dampier owns the UK single-game scoring record in the series with his 42 points in 1966
• Tyler Tanner leads the Commodores with 18.5 points and 5.2 assists per game. He also leads the SEC with 2.39 steals per game
• The Commodores as a team are the top steals squad in the conference, averaging 8.43 swipes per contest
Hitting the Boards
Kentucky has hit the boards with increased ferocity of late, particularly on the offensive glass.
• UK has set a new season-high for offensive rebounds in league play in each of the last three games. UK grabbed 15 offensive rebounds vs. Georgia, 17 at Auburn and 18 at South Carolina. Those are the three SEC games with the most offensive rebounds for UK this season
• Over the last three games, Kentucky has an offensive rebounding rate of 43.9 percent. Prior to the last three contests, UK had an offensive rebounding rate of 33.9 percent through its first 25 contests
• The Wildcats had 48 total rebounds at South Carolina, their most against an SEC opponent this season. UK was plus-20 on the glass in the game, the best margin against an SEC opponent under Mark Pope.
Last Time Out
The Wildcats snapped a three-game losing skid with a 72-63 win over South Carolina on Tuesday in Columbia.
• Kentucky limited South Carolina to 63 points and is now 9-0 on the season and 17-0 under Mark Pope when keeping the opponent to 66 points or fewer
• The Cats held the Gamecocks to just 36.8 percent shooting. UK is 10-0 on the year when holding the opponent under 40 percent
• A 13-0 run in the first half was the largest for Kentucky this season against an SEC opponent
• Kentucky won the boards, 48-28, the largest margin this season against an SEC opponent
• The Wildcats snared 18 offensive rebounds, setting a new team-high in SEC play for the second consecutive game
• UK finished with a decisive 26-7 advantage in fastbreak points. The team has outscored its opponent on the fastbreak in 23 of 28 games this season
• Denzel Aberdeen led all scorers wit 19 points, including four made 3s. He also led the Cats with five assists
• Mo Dioubate was a team-best +16 in the win and scored 12 points
• Andrija Jelavic matched his season high with 11 points
• Malachi Moreno finished with a game-high 11 rebounds
• Otega Oweh had five steals for the second time this season
