Kentucky looks to wash stench of an 0-2 week out of it’s mouth by taking a road trip to one of the worst teams in the SEC. Vanderbilt has been a bogey team for Kentucky the last few years with frustratingly close wins and a few total meltdowns. Kentucky’s season is on the brink and can not allow that to happen. Doesn’t matter how ugly, this is a must-win game.
When: Tuesday, February 6th, at 8:30pm ET
Where: Memorial Gym, Nashville, Tennessee
Channel: SECN
Vanderbilt So Far
The Commodores sit at 6-15 (1-7) on the season and have no good wins to speak off. They are coming off their first SEC win of the season as they defeated Missouri 68-61 (their only win over a P6 opponent on the season) at home on Saturday. Vanderbilt sits at 187th in Kenpom and 226th in the NET. The Dores are nothing close to a NCAA Tournament team so there will be no extra motivation in that regard.
How Does Kentucky Matchup
It’s hard to pinpoint anything Vandy does well. They don’t shoot the ball well and really struggle to score. The same was true the last couple of years but Vandy found a way to give Kentucky fits in just about every matchup. They do have two very experienced guards who can create their own offense. Tyrin Lawrence and Ezra Manjon both lit Kentucky up in the SEC Tournament last year, scoring 25 and 18 points respectively.
On defense, Vandy also struggles. They don’t have a ton of size so they try to leverage their aggressiveness. The last couple of years they were able to harass Kentucky’s weak ball-handlers (and take advantage of a Cason Wallace injury) to drag the game into the mud.
Once again Kentucky could really use DJ Wagner to initiate offense. We’ve seen Reed struggle mightily with ball pressure the last two games and that is a recipe for a catastrophe in this game. Vandy was able to compete with both Alabama and Tennessee on their home floor (they pushed Alabama all the way to the end).
Player To Watch
Ezra Manjon is the one to keep an eye. After breaking out late in the season he’s having a very good season. He’s averaging 14.3 points and 3.4 assists while shooting 46% from the floor (just 30% from three but I expect him to hit every single open shot he gets against Kentucky). He is probably watching what Zakai Zeigler was able to do against Kentucky and salivating. If DJ is unable to go again Kentucky will have to figure out a plan because Reed Sheppard has made it clear he can’t be trusted to guard the ball.
Who Wins
I said it earlier but I believe it, this is a must-win game for Kentucky. A third-straight loss to Vanderbilt would be hard to overcome (and a third straight loss on the season). It’s unfortunate that fans and media outlets are determined to put the weight of the last 4 seasons on this team but that is the reality of playing at Kentucky. I expect Vandy to do what they always do and keep this incredibly close but Kentucky’s offense seems to be have found it’s footing after a small blip last week. Even if this turns into a shoot-out I don’t see how Vandy scores enough (famous last words).
Kentucky wins 84-75.
1 comment
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