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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt, Round 2: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

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The Kentucky Wildcats will look for the season sweep against Vanderbilt as they travel to Rupp Arena on Senior night.
© Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Riding a three-game win streak, their longest of 2024, the Kentucky Wildcats will play their final home game on Wednesday against Vanderbilt. The Commodores played spoil to Kentucky’s senior night last year, but with a weaker team this season that doesn’t seem very likely.

Since playing Kentucky in Nashville, back in January, the Commodores are just 2-5. Their two wins have come by a combined four points, over two of the most disappointing teams in the SEC, Arkansas and Texas A&M. Fan discontent with head coach Jerry Stackhouse continues to grow, despite his reported $14 million buyout.

Kentucky, on senior night, against one of the worst teams in the SEC, should get an easy win. That said, let’s take a look at the matchup.

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Three Point Advantage

To put it simply, Vanderbilt is not a good shooting team. In fact, they are in the bottom ten in the country in three-point percentage at just 28.1 percent. Meaning, that Kentucky needs to prioritize staying between their man and the basket, as Ezra Manjon and Tyrin Lawrence will look to attack the paint. Rim protection will be key here as well.

As bad as Vanderbilt is at shooting threes, they are just as bad as allowing threes, allowing their opponents to shoot 37.5 percent. In comparison, Kentucky is first in the country in three-point percentage at 40.8 percent.

As John Calipari has said of his team multiple times this season, “We shoot it so well, that should be our advantage.”

Transition

In their first matchup earlier this season, Kentucky never trailed Vanderbilt. A big reason for that is pushing the ball and capitalizing on early transition chances. For the game, they had 30 fastbreak points.

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The game plan will likely be similar this go around, looking to force the Commodores into difficult shots, using defense rebounds and outlet passes to get some easy looks. I would expect the Wildcats to use a little bit of pressure at times as well, just as they did back in January. Making Manjon and Lawrence uncomfortable and lean into making some mental mistakes, combining for seven turnovers last time.

Gain Confidence

The Wildcats have just two games remaining on the schedule. With a highly anticipated showdown against Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday, Vanderbilt provides a good opportunity for Kentucky to gain some confidence beforehand, if they can take advantage.

Individually, Tre Mitchell returned in Kentucky’s last game against Arkansas, but struggled. This could be a good opportunity to give him some extended minutes to help him regain some comfort. It could be a similar opportunity for Aaron Bradshaw, whose play has improved as late, or even Jordan Burks, who recorded a career-high against Vanderbilt on the road.

G Ezra Manjon 6-0, 170 lbs

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  • 14.3 PPG (16th in SEC)
  • 3.6 APG (11th in SEC)

G Tyrin Lawrence 6-4, 200 lbs

  • 13.7 PPG (18th in SEC)
  • 4.8 RPG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

  • Time: 9:00 PM EST
  • Date: March 6th, 2024
  • Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, KY.
  • TV Channel: SEC Network
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | VU
  • Stats to Know: UK | VU
  • KenPom: UK | VU
  • Team Sheet: UK | VU
  • Odds: No DraftKings spread just yet, so check back Tuesday evening. ESPN’s matchup predictor has Kentucky as a near lock, giving them a 98.1% chance of victory. KenPom is the next most confident in the Wildcats at 97%. Followed by EvanMiya at 96.6%, and BartTorvik at 96%
  • Predictions: With such a high percent chance of victory, it is no surprise that the score projections expect a 20-point margin in Kentucky’s favor. Haslametrics has the Cats winning 90-68. Followed by Bart Torvik, 91-70, and KenPom, 89-69. EvanMiya is going with an 88-69 win in Kentucky’s final home game.

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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