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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt: TV/Streaming Info, Preview, and Betting Odds/Predictions

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Kentucky Wildcats forward Trent Noah (9) reacts after making a three point basket
Jordan Prather-Imagn

Following a disappointing loss on the road to Texas, the Kentucky Wildcats return to Rupp Arena for a rematch against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Looking to avenge a loss to Vanderbilt in Nashville, the Wildcats need to win this one or they are in danger of falling out of the top 10 in the SEC standings. That could mean a Wednesday game in the SEC Tournament.

Vanderbilt is currently projected in the NCAA Tournament field, but as a 10 or 11 seed, they are certainly no lock. A road win over Kentucky would certainly boost their resume and give them more confidence.

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That said, neither team has been playing great of late. Battling injuries, Kentucky has lost five of their last eight, sitting at .500 in SEC play. On the other side, Vanderbilt has lost four of their last five games, including a thirty-point loss to Oklahoma.

Kentucky tends to play some of their best basketball at home, while Vanderbilt is just 1-5 on the road in the SEC but nearly took down Tennessee this past Saturday.

Let’s take a look at what to watch for in this matchup.

Turnover Bug

The biggest story of the first matchup was Kentucky’s lack of ball security, turning the ball over 17 times, still a season-high. Which was a big reason why the Commodores had twelve more possessions.

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While Vanderbilt is one of the best teams in the country at generating turnovers, many of Kentucky’s were unforced. That included two at the end of the game where errant passes were forced and Kentucky gave away any shot they had to win.

This time Kentucky will likely be without Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson and will have to rely on a point-guard-by-committee approach: Travis Perry, Koby Brea, Otega Oweh, and Amari Williams. Each of have shown the ability to

A -12 possession margin isn’t going to win many games. Take care of the ball.

Late-Game Execution

While Kentucky has certainly had games where they executed to near perfection at the end (i.e. Duke, Gonzaga), there have certainly been some late-game execution issues recently, including at Vanderbilt, Alabama, and at Texas on Saturday.

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Again, Kentucky will likely not have a true point guard, but they still have the talent to win this game. That said, they have to execute for 40 minutes, not 36 as they did against Texas. There are no excuses for not blocking out on a free throw, or inbounding a ball directly to a defender.

3-Point Attempts

Before the season started, Mark Pope and multiple staff members talked about the goal of averaging 30+ three-point attempts per game. Now 25 games into the season, Kentucky has only done so in four games and just once in SEC play.

If there is a team that you want to shoot a lot of threes against, it is Vanderbilt who allows their opponents to shoot better than 37% from deep, one of the worst marks in the country. In SEC play, that number is even worse at 41%.

Kentucky only had 23 attempts from deep in the first game. That number needs to be higher in this rematch.

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Opposing Players to Watch

G Jason Edwards

  • 17.6 PPG (4th in SEC)
  • 38.5% 3P (9th in SEC)
  • 5.4 3PA

F Devin McGlockton

  • 10.8 PPG
  • 7.8 RPG (6th in SEC)
  • 60.2% FG

G AJ Hoggard

  • 10.5 PPG
  • 4.6 APG (5th in SEC)
  • 37.1% FG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Time: 7 PM ET on February 19th
Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky
TV Channel: SEC Network
Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | VANDY
Stats to Know: UK | VANDY
KenPom: UK | VANDY
Team Sheet: UK | VANDY

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky -5.5 with an over/under of 161.5. ESPN is the most confident in the Cats, giving them an 81.7% at victory. EvanMiya is the least confident, taking into account injuries, giving Kentucky a 69% chance at victory. KenPom (79%) and BartTorvik (76%) lie in between.

Predictions: BartTorvik (91-82) and KenPom (89-80) each have Kentucky winning nine points. Haslametrics (86-79) and EvanMiya (85-79) have the Cats by slightly lesser margins, seven and six points respectively. I’m going with an 83-77 victory, Kentucky!

Send us your Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt score predictions in the comments section!

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Go CATS!

Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh Declares for NBA Draft, Maintains College Eligibility

Arguably the centerpiece of last year’s team, Otega Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft… but that doesn’t mean he’s officially gone.

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Otega Oweh declares for the NBA Draft whilst maintaining his college eligibility.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Few players have taken the Big Blue Nation by storm like Otega Oweh did with his arrival this past season. A lot was new in Lexington last year, but #00 stuck out for a number of reasons; namely, his infectious energy on the court and the high odds that he was going to put an opponent on a poster on any given night.

Now, Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft. He made the announcement on social media, calling Kentucky fans the “best fans in the world.”

While this may seem dire for folks keeping tabs on next year’s roster, that last line in Oweh’s announcement is crucial: “…while maintaining my NCAA eligibility.” Essentially, Otega’s time in Lexington is far from over, at least for the time being.

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Whether or not “Tegatron” returns to Rupp will likely depend on what he hears during the draft process, and where exactly he wants to land. In the modern college basketball landscape, it’s become common practice for players to “test the waters” in the draft, just to get an idea as to where they stand with the league, before returning to college for another year of development.

Take, for example, Jaxson Robinson just last season. Before his eventual transfer to Kentucky, Robinson declared for the draft out of BYU, maintaining his eligibility, before pulling from the process in order to spend his senior year at Kentucky. It happens all the time.

While that doesn’t necessarily set Oweh’s return in stone, it at least gives the Big Blue Nation to take a breather and keep calm, as his departure is far from official. Either way, #00 is a Lexington legend whose first go-around in Kentucky blue was as memorable as anyone’s could be. The “Oweh, Oweh, Oweh” chants will go on regardless.

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Men's Basketball

Four Star Forward Visiting Kentucky Amidst Recruitment Rumors

Mark Pope is looking to close out a strong sophomore effort in the transfer portal, and this freshman guard may be the final piece.

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Four star guard Braydon Hawthorne is on a visit to Kentucky.
Braydon Hawthorne | WVU Athletics

As the transfer portal trucks on (and the NCAA races to find ways to regulate it), Mark Pope is looking to tie a bow on his already highly-ranked 2025-26′ roster. The latest potential addition becomes in the form of a freshman who, after pulling his commitment from West Virginia, will be on an official visit to Kentucky today, Wednesday, April 16.

Braydon Hawthorne, the 6’8″ forward at hand, is a lengthy, scoring wing with high upside on the offensive end. His 7’3″ wingspan opens opportunities for development on the defensive end, too – he’s an investment opportunity of the highest order. On3 currently has him at 48th on their ranking of 2025 recruits.

In addition to Kentucky and West Virginia (where Hawthorne is from), schools such as Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Marquette, Dayton, Old Dominion, Mount St. Mary’s, and more have thrown their hats into the ring, although the general consensus seems to be that Kentucky has the strongest pull/interest in the prospect for the time being.

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Whether or not that actually means he’ll be in blue and white is unfortunately unsure – as that’s how the transfer portal operates – but an in-person visit is a good indicator of mutual interest. Plus, with Kentucky “losing out” on Lamar Wilkerson, who committed to Indiana, a scoring spot in the back court remains open… and Hawthorne is a compelling candidate to fill it.

While Wildcats fans wait patiently for a potential commitment, all eyes are on Coach Cody Fueger’s X account for a trademark “boom” post.

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Men's Basketball

Brandon Garrison Announces Return To Kentucky For The 2025-26 Season

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Chet White | UK Athletics

Brandon Garrison isn’t going anywhere. 

The 6-foot-10 forward will be returning to the Kentucky Wildcats for his junior season in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Garrison took to social media first, posting a story on his personal Instagram that showed a simple graphic reading the words “I’m back.”

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Speculation and rumors have swirled around the Oklahoma native all offseason, and with the addition of Andrija Jelavic, Big Blue Nation worried that Garrison would be hitting the portal sooner than later. 

Now, with his returning announcement public, Garrison will look to assert himself in the offseason as a dominant force that deserves the starting role.

Last season, he backed up Amari Williams, coming off of the bench and averaging 5.9 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 17.3 minutes a night. 

It’s unclear if he’s guaranteed anything in regards to a starting spot. However, having played a year already in Mark Pope’s system, Garrison may get a nod for the role over one of the transfer pickups. 

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Pope and the coaching staff have been publicly confident in the development of “BG” and see him as a vocal leader on and off the court. 

With a full offseason ahead where he’ll be harnessing his skill set and bettering his game in any way possible, Kentucky fans will be glad that Garrison chose to stick around another year. 

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