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Kentucky vs Vanderbilt: Postgame Recap

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UK Athletics

Off the heels of a tough-fought victory against Texas A&M, the Kentucky Wildcats traveled to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt. Sitting at 3-3 in conference play, the Commodores didn’t look like much of a challenge, but they played well against Tennessee and Alabama, the two best teams in the conference.

From the start, you could tell that Kentucky was not going to overlook this game. The scoring didn’t come in a fury, but the Wildcats were efficient, hitting six of their first ten shots. Yet, their defense is what really set the tone for the game, forcing Vandy to less than 36 percent shooting from the field.

To end the half, John Calipari used his first timeout and set up an out-of-bounds play that was executed to perfection, as Jacob Toppin scored off of a layup, giving the Cats a 36-27 halftime lead.

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To start the second half, Kentucky picked up where they left off, as Cason Wallace hit two threes in just over two minutes to extend the lead out to double-digits. From that point, the Wildcats never looked back as they pushed the lead out to as much as 20 points. In the end, Kentucky made a statement with a 69-53 victory, their largest margin of victory since the Louisville game.

Let’s take a closer look at what may be Kentucky’s best performance up to this point of the season.

Defense

Coming in, there was a lot of discussion on if Kentucky would be able to slow down a creative Vanderbilt offense that had been averaging over 80 points in conference play. The Wildcats did just that, giving up just 51 points, Vanderbilt’s second-lowest points total of the season.

Defense against Vanderbilt starts on the perimeter, limiting them from three. For the game, the Commodores did shoot 35.3 percent from deep, but on just six made three-pointers. Of those six, four of them came from Malik Dia, who had only made ten threes on the season prior to the game. Kentucky did a great job of limiting Vanderbilt’s best shooters – Myles Stute and Trey Thomas – who combined for just 1-5 from three.

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Kentucky’s ball screen defense was much improved, allowing just one layup directly off a ball screen. The Wildcats also dominated the defensive boards. This not only limited Vanderbilt to just 6-second chance points, but also allowed Kentucky to push the ball up against the Vanderbilt defense at times.

Sahvir Wheeler Performs Well In New Role

Since the start of Kentucky’s winning streak, the one common theme has been the reduced playing time of Sahvir Wheeler. While some have used this as an opportunity to make the case against Wheeler, John Calipari has been sure to note that Kentucky will need him this season in his new role.

Playing 22 minutes, Wheeler recorded four points and five assists. Yet, his impact was felt more outside of the stat book, as he brought physicality and allowed Cason Wallace to be more aggressive as a scorer when they were in together.

Following the game, Calipari talked about Wheeler and is proud of him for accepting his new role. “I kissed Sahvir. I’ve got sweat all over my face and I kissed him. I said ‘I’m about ready to cry’. I know what he’s been through, you don’t.”

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Breaking Through

It is important to note that the personnel has always been there and it has taken time, but the team looks to finally be playing within themselves and in their roles. On Tuesday, that resulted in possibly Kentucky’s best game, from start to finish, this season.

The most notable example of this has been the emergence of Antonio Reeves who is averaging 16.8 ppg since and including the Alabama game. The Illinois State transfer played purely as a shooter in the early part of the season, but as of late, has built the confidence to score in other ways at the Power Five level.

It’s not just Antonio every player is doing their part, including Jacob Toppin who has been rebounding much better, allowing Kentucky to play ‘the lineup’.

On Tuesday, each player in ‘the lineup’ – Wallace, Reeves, Fredrick, Toppin, and Tshiebwe – scored in double figures, which is promising for the offense going forward. With that said, if Kentucky can continue to play the level of defense, they can beat A LOT of teams.

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Just watch how they are playing. The Wildcats are having fun and are playing confidently, which is a positive sign with a big test against Kansas coming up.

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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