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Kentucky vs Vanderbilt: Postgame Recap

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2 years ago

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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.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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4 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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6 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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Men's Basketball

ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

Published

7 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
ESPN

Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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