Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt: Takeaways

Despite being down two starters, the Cats had several guys step up and were able throttle Vandy on the road with a 109-77 win.  Kentucky needed a win badly and there was a lot of positives so lets dive into it.

The Game Is Slowing Down For Rob

Unfortunately, Kentucky wasted Rob’s career game against Tennessee but last night Rob showed he was more than a scorer.  He ended up with 20 points but most impressive was the floor game he played.  Rob ended up with 9 assists/1 TO and it wasn’t a fluke.  He made great decisions all night in terms of knowing when and how to attack.  His ability to run a team in DJ’s absence was a breath of fresh air and it really took the load off Reed who has struggled with that responsibility.

Rob has said all the right things since getting to Lexington. It’s really cool to see him develop in front of our eyes.

Z/Bradshaw Come Alive

Both of those guys needed that after a rocky week.  Bradshaw (12 points and 7 rebounds) and Z (11 points and 7 rebounds) both flashed a level of grittiness they had not previously.  Z did hit one three but most of their points came as rim-runners or doing dirty work on the offensive glass.  That is what this team needs going forward.  Vandy is a good matchup for them but it had been awhile since we had seen that no matter the opponent.

We only saw a glimpse (due to foul trouble) but there is also some optimism in playing Z/Bradshaw together.  Z has the vision and shooting to play the 4 effectively but he’ll have to learn how to stay in front of someone on the defensive end.   It really is a shame that the NCAA robbed us of a full season of Z because you can see the talent, but trying to get up to speed in the SEC is tall task.

Justin and Jordan Have Big Games

A lot has been written about Justin Edwards.  Everyone knows that he has struggled, nor has he been what we all hoped he would be.  Last night he was able to have his moment.  He scored 17 points on 10 shots (he also added 3 assists) while playing at an acceptable level on the defensive end.  It wasn’t always flashy but he looked confident and finished at the rim, his nasty windmill dunk was the highlight of the night for me.  I have no idea what it means going forward but after taking a lot of abuse from “fans” on social media it was cool to see that kid have some joy in a Kentucky basketball jersey.

How about Jordan?  He’s kind of been the forgotten man but it was good to see him get back on the floor.  Jordan was active on both ends of the floor and didn’t try to be something he’s not.  Burks took advantage of Vandy’s ball-watching, but he also hit a 3 and flashed a nifty little floater.  13 points and 5 rebounds is nothing to write home about but hopefully it’s a sign of things to come for a guy who will likely return to school.

What Does It Mean

Nobody believes that beating Vandy fixes all that ailed this team.  Vanderbilt is a bad basketball team who is seemingly coached by a guy not really interested in being at Vanderbilt.  The manner of the beating though is promising.  Kentucky controlled the game from start to finish.  It took some dodgy officiating and a dude scoring 12 more than his average to keep it within 30.  The young Cats also showed that they are still engaged and have clearly tuned out the negativity that some fans and media outlets are determined to amplify.  The issues are still there but last night kept the hope alive that they can be fixed.

The good news is that we’ll know more by the weekend as Gonzaga comes to Rupp.  This isn’t the Gonzaga of old but it’s a decent team and will provide a desperately needed Quad 1 opportunity.  For now, we’ll enjoy winning.

Go Cats.