Vanderbilt Commodores Need Frontcourt To Step Up Against Kentucky Wildcats

The Vanderbilt Commodores are in the midst of the most brutal schedule of any men’s college basketball team in the country.

Saturday afternoon when they host the Kentucky Wildcats at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville will be their third straight game against a team ranked in the top nine of the country.

Last weekend, they were able to pull off a season-defining victory over their in-state rivals, the Tennessee Volunteers, 76-75 in front of a raucous sold-out crowd. Earlier this week, they went on the road to face the Alabama Crimson Tide and were defeated 103-87.

This is another golden opportunity for the Commodores to improve their standing and pick up another quality victory. To this point, they are 4-4 against Quad 1 and 2 teams, more than holding their own thus far in SEC play despite a major step up in competition from their non-conference schedule.

What is it going to take for them to pull off the upset again in front of another soldout crowd that will be bringing the energy once again?

Just as the case was against Alabama, and nearly every time Vanderbilt takes the court, they are going to be undersized compared to their opponents.

The Commodores’ tallest listed player in their rotation is backup big man Jaylen Carey, who is 6-8. In the starting lineup, that designation is held by Devin McGlockton, who measures in at 6-7.

They are going to be tested once again Saturday afternoon against a Kentucky squad that has three players in their rotation listed at 6-10 or taller — Andrew Carr, Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison.

It is going to take a complete team effort to keep up on the glass, which has been an area of struggle for Vanderbilt at points this season.

McGlockton has been doing all he can as a one-man wrecking crew, averaging 8.2 rebounds per game. On the season, on only 24.7 minutes per game, he is pulling down an SEC-leading 3.5 offensive rebounds per game. During conference play, that number has ticked up slightly to 3.7.

Carey has been excellent as well, securing 5.6 rebounds despite playing only 19.7 minutes per game. Those two are combining for 13.8 out of the team’s 35.7 rebounds per game on the campaign.

That duo has 156 and 107 rebounds, respectively, each. The next closest is guard Chris Manon with only 60.

Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington is going to be relying on them heavily again to set the tone as the Commodores look to beat Kentucky at Memorial Gymnasium for the first time since 2016.