Kentucky was at home in Rupp Arena today to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. In their first meeting at Vandy, Kentucky pulled out a tough win, 69-63. So coming into the game a streaking Vanderbilt team was looking to exact revenge and spoil Kentucky’s 50 game home win record.
On the first play of the game, Kentucky sent Lance Goulbourne to the line via a mean tackle from Terrence Jones in the secondary. Over the next few plays, it seemed like there were more rebounds than shots taken. This game was…how do you say, ‘physical’.
Festus Ezeli set that tone with Anthony Davis. Though Davis, who has really developed throughout SEC play, responded and held his own in the post. Did I say held his own? What I meant was jetisoned both players and soft shots from the block. Anthony Davis put up an insane stat line in the first half, with 15 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was on his John Wall, early. Leading the break and taking it to the hole against multiple defenders, he flushed one viscous dunk with his defender’s hand attached to it. No joke, they had to stop the game to reattach the guy’s hand.
Marquis Teague was on his Marquis Teague, leading the break and blowing a wide open layup. To Teague’s credit, he came right back and drained that layup the next time down. From there, Teague looked really good driving to the cup, and Brad Tinsley looked really silly trying to guard him. Teague finished with a nice stat line of 16 points, four rebounds and six assists.
Coming up on ten minutes to go in the first half, the Cats began to turn up the intensity on offense and, picking apart Vandy’s zone, Davis and Jones dropped a couple of monster dunks to awaken the Rupp crowd.
Vandy had an answer every time Kentucky scored, usually on jumpers, while Kentucky scored 22 of their first 24 points in the paint. Kentucky was 0-8 from 3 in the first half. The Commodores took a lead to the locker room, 37-36.
Terrence Jones picked up his third foul with just a minute gone in the second half. That’s ok because Anthony Davis continued with the production of two players.
Kentucky opened the second half with a 6-0 run. But again, as soon as Kentucky would get out ahead, Vanderbilt would hit a big three to stay right with them. Doron Lamb hit Kentucky’s first three of the game with fourteen minutes to go in the second half.
MKG drew his third foul not long after, but like clockwork, Jones stepped up on D and Doron Lamb continued to come alive on offense. That is what makes Kentucky head and shoulders above every other team. Things that would spell doom for other teams just mean Kentucky has to redirect and go to one of the million other options they have.
Just under ten minutes to go, Kidd-Gillie drew his fourth foul on a tie up and had to sit back down. The Kidd is the most intense player in college basketball, which is his virtue and his Achilles heel.
Kentucky stretched their lead to double digits with just under eight minutes to go. This was the result of a Miller three and forced turnovers for transition points. Miller continued his trend of showing up to the party fashionably late, going scoreless for thirty minutes and then dropping seven points in less than two minutes.
John Jenkins kept Vanderbilt alive with threes and at five minutes to go it was a one possession game.
At about three and a half minutes to go MKG went down clutching his knee in a mix up under the basket. Rupp went silent as he hobbled off the court. He was fine though and came back thirty seconds later, only to instantly draw his fifth foul.
Kentucky stretched the lead to seven with two minutes to go, on a poetic drive to the hole by Darius Miller, he is the anti-Lebron.
Coming up on one minute to go and with seven seconds on the shot clock, Marquis Teague found Anthony Davis behind the three point line (huh?). Davis drained the trey.
In the last minute of the game Kentucky broke Vandy’s press for a Terrence Jones dunk which was followed up by a viscous Anthony Davis block. At this point Kentucky had stretched the lead out of reach.
The Cats continued their ascending evolution today, dealing with poor three point shooting as well as a rolling and determined Commodore team. UK won the game, 83-74, with with some of their toughest interior play this season. They out-rebounded Vandy 34-23, and though the Cats were two of ten from three, they shot 57% overall due to points in the paint.
The win clinches Kentucky’s 45th SEC Regular Season title.
The player of the game is also the player of the year, and he proved it today; 28 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks and 2 steals for Anthony Davis.
