Previewing Kentucky vs Vandy

The Kentucky Wildcats will face a huge challenge on Saturday when they clash with the Vanderbilt Commodores. Though the Commodores are coming off a loss to Alabama, Kentucky is as well which should make for an interesting matchup. While the Wildcats have done pretty well against ranked teams throughout this season, that success hasn’t translated into success in the SEC as a whole. This has made fans rather frustrated and nervous about the rest of the season and shows that Kentucky has a tendency to play down to their opposition. While the SEC is arguably the best conference in terms of overall talent and strength of schedule, the Wildcats unfortunately have not remained consistent in their performances.

A Look Back: Kentucky’s Big Wins

With the exception of losing to 4th ranked Alabama last week, the Wildcats have won every game against ranked opponents this season. That puts them at 5-1 going against ranked opponents which includes a win against Duke earlier on in the season who is now ranked second overall. The average margin of victory in those games however is only six points, which demonstrates one of two things.

First, they are capable of losing on any given night against any SEC team. With a 3-2 conference record, they currently sit in the middle of the SEC and only one game up on Vanderbilt who’s at 3-3. Teams that shoot the ball well or at a high volume have been the Wildcats weakness as shown in the game vs Alabama last weekend. Head Coach Mark Pope addressed this in his postgame interview, as well as earlier this week when asked about his gameplan vs Vanderbilt.

“We can’t bail teams out with fouls. We gotta handle teams in transition and we gotta keep them off the glass. We clearly have to guard the three-point line a little better. Those are things we’ve done. There’s things we are making progress at. Today was a significant misstep for us for sure.”

The second issue that Kentucky has demonstrated throughout this season is that their record may be a direct reflection of their potential. Kentucky has been historically one of the most celebrated and successful programs in the NCAA. The main concern with this backdrop of success is the fact that it is getting harder and harder to have repeated success due to the changing landscape of the league.

Players are now able to enter the transfer portal and look for opportunities elsewhere if they feel as though their program isn’t the best fit for them. This makes retention of talent and continuity of rosters challenging since both are now predicated upon success the year prior. Both Vanderbilt and Kentucky are dealing with complete rebuilt rosters, which makes the end of the season run crucial to the future of both programs. On the effects of having returning players and a sense of continuity, Mark Pope stressed the importance of these ideas, saying that they “give you an opportunity to push a little farther down the road.”

Looking Ahead To Vandy

When addressing the media about the challenges Vanderbilt poses, he reiterated those statements, highlighting the Commodore’s scoring ability. “They start with five guys on the floor that really shoot it, and they’re really, really mobile, so they force you to guard a lot of space — all of those challenges that come with it.”

Another challenge Kentucky will face on Saturday is the pace and size with which Vanderbilt like to play. Mark Pope also addressed this during a press conference “They’re also really physical on the glass. I mean, one of the top rebounders in the league is their undersized starting center, right? No. 99 (McGlockton) is — he’s unbelievable, he’s a second-hit guy.” The Wildcats will most likely be big man dependent on Saturday, and will look to Amari Williams, Andrew Carr, and Jaxson Robinson to lead them past a tough SEC opponent.