Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs Vanderbilt: Postgame Recap

Published

3 years ago

January 25, 2023

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.

"Cal can't coach"

Heck of a play call to end the first half, resulting in an easy layup by a secondary scoring option. pic.twitter.com/CDBU9OqkmP— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) January 25, 2023

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.

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.”

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.

Antonio Reeves is getting more and more comfortable with each game.

Starting to look like the guy that averaged 20.1 ppg at Illinois State, scoring in a multitude of ways. pic.twitter.com/dPhqXSI8ER— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) January 25, 2023

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.

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

Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance Drafted First Round by the San Antonio Spurs

Published

10 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Kai McClelland

Brett Davis | IMAGN Images

It’s every kids dream to play professionally one day, let alone be able to play for the University of Kentucky on the way to the next level.

Although Jayden Quaintance’s time with the Wildcats ended anticlimactically, his NBA dreams have officially come true at just 18 years old.

The Cleveland, Ohio native began his collegiate career with the Arizona State Sun Devils, starting in all 24 games he played in.

Before his unfortunate knee injury, Quaintance was good for nearly a nightly double-double, averaging 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game to go along with 2.6 blocks a night.

He would transfer to Kentucky ahead of his sophomore season, making his first appearance on Dec. 20 against St. John’s.

Finishing the game with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, many members of the Big Blue Nation were confident that their superstar had finally debuted.

Only appearing in three more games for the 2025-26 season, it was quite clear that his eyes were set on playing at the next level, not taking any chances of another injury.

Selecting Quaintance with the No. 20 overall pick, the Spurs have now added on to their elite front court and will likely utilize him as a two-way player.

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Players and Staff Speak About the Importance of Zoom Diallo to This Team, “It’s a recipe for success”

Published

5 days ago

June 19, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Zoom Diallo is turning heads in Kentucky basketball practices. See why Mikhail McLean and Malachi Moreno are already raving about the new PG1.

UK Athletics

Mark Pope likes to start his roster-building process with a point guard. In year one, that was Lamont Butler. This past season, it was Jaland Lowe, who was the second commitment after an eager Kam Williams signed with the Wildcats without a visit.

This season, that point guard is Zoom Diallo.

According to early practice reports, Diallo has not only been one of the best players, but one of the most important in terms of helping this team build its foundation. According to one source, “Zoom has been one of the purest forms of a floor general early on. These guys rally around him. He’s the voice of the team in the early stages and backs it up by going the extra mile.”

Assistant coach Mikhail McLean confirmed that in interviews this week.

“Zoom’s been my favorite so far,” he said on Tuesday, before going into more depth with BBN Tonight on Thursday, comparing him to a quarterback.

“He’s just a connector,” McLean said. “If you know what a quarterback is like, where they just kind of connect everybody. He has a bubbly energy and personality. He’s humble enough to accept who he is as a person. He gasses and encourages everybody to be the best version of themselves, and that’s how he gets the best version of himself.”

McLean mentioned another “connector” on the team, Malachi Moreno, who actually played a part in recruiting Diallo to Kentucky, “his favorite point guard.”

“I had already known Zoom for a while,” he told KY Insider on Thursday. “We had been in Adidas Euro camp together, and being on the Adidas circuit, we’ve been good friends for a while. We always wanted to play together. He ended up at Washington, and I ended up here, but the stars aligned and now he’s here with me. I got my favorite point guard.”

As far as the impact Diallo has on the court, Moreno mentioned his ability to make plays for his teammates, but also highlighted his ability as a bully guard, drawing a comparison to Otega Oweh.

“He’s a high-assist-rate guy,” Moreno said. “He makes plays, and he earns shots for his teammates, and he’s also a bully guard.”

“I think that also helps in the SEC as well, being one of those bigger bully guards. You saw how Otega was last year. He was able to be so good because he was such a bully and able to muscle his way through the paint and really earn shots for everybody, earn shots for himself. I think having a guy like Zoom like that as well, it’s just a recipe for success.”

High praise for Kentucky’s PG1 this season.

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Team Visits Patients at UK Children’s Hospital, “We can brighten somebody’s day”

Published

5 days ago

June 19, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky basketball players spent time at UK Children's Hospital, playing Fortnite and making crafts with young patients.

Chet White/UK Athletics

This year’s Kentucky Basketball roster arrived on campus earlier this month. While summer practice has started as the Cats are getting acclimated to the program, they are also getting acclimated to the community.

As a basketball player at Kentucky, you are more than just an athlete; you are someone many young people around the state look up to.

On Wednesday, the team visited the UK Children’s Hospital to see some of the strongest young people in the state.

Such a fun day spent with the wonderful kids at @KCHKids 💙 pic.twitter.com/U3n2Q1mTvH— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) June 18, 2026

Photos showed players interacting with the children by playing games, creating crafts, and even putting together some toys.

Malachi Moreno revealed during an interview on Thursday that he invited one of the children, a young boy named Jackson, whom he met at DanceBlue, to play the popular video game Fortnite with himself, Kam Williams, and Trent Noah.

“The guys really took in what it means to be a part of this brand,” Moreno said of the experience. “When we walk into a room, we can brighten somebody’s day.”

This is what it’s all about.

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.