It was a fun night for the Wildcats.
The Kentucky Wildcats got found on Wednesday night when they beat the Vanderbilt Commodores, 82-61.
The Wildcats lost at Vanderbilt last month, where they scored just 27 first-half points and fell short of pulling off a comeback win.
Last night, the Wildcats put up 41 points in both halves and relied on their defense in the final 20 minutes to close the deal.
Despite missing Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler for the second consecutive game, the Wildcats seemed to figure out ball movement while also bringing energy on defense.
The likes of Collin Chandler and Travis Perry stepped up big in the absence of Butler and Robinson, while veterans Amari Williams and Otega Oweh continued to shoulder a bulk of the load at both ends of the court.
Being forced to go deep into the team’s bench may very well prepare the Wildcats for the postseason, but make no mistake that Kentucky needs both Butler and Robinson back healthy if they hope to have a lot of success.
Add in that Kerr Kriisa could eventually make his return from a foot injury, and suddenly, the Wildcats have 10 players they can shuffle in their rotation.
Kentucky will next face Alabama on Saturday in what will be one of their tougher road tests of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 PM ET with coverage on ESPN.
Tweet of the Day
Amari Williams of @KentuckyMBB is the first Division I or NBA player to have a game with:
15+ points
4+ blocks
100% FG shooting
100% FT shooting
0 fouls…since Pau Gasol did it for the Lakers on November 21, 2010. pic.twitter.com/WGbHetinKR
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) February 20, 2025
Pretty impressive.
Headlines
No. 17 Kentucky Rolls Past Vanderbilt, 82-61 – UK Athletics
For Otega Oweh, it was the 26th consecutive game in which he has scored in double figures, and it was the eighth time that he has scored at least 20 points.
Andrew Carr returns to old form in Kentucky’s rout of Vanderbilt – Cats Pause
Without Carr at full strength, the Cats had lost five of eight games. It’s no accident that a healthy Carr and an 82-61 rout of Vanderbilt happened on the same night.
Kentucky’s defense shuts down Vanderbilt – KSR
It was quite the second half.
Greg Sankey, Tony Petitti agree CFP seeding needs change – ESPN
Sooner than later.
Andrew Carr looked more like his old self vs. Vanderbilt – KSR
Glad to see it.
No. 15 Missouri beats No. 4 Alabama 110-98 – CBS Sports
Heck of a performance.
Five best things from Kentucky’s 21-point win over Vanderbilt – KSR
How about Collin Chandler?
Predicting stars of the NFL combine – CBS Sports
A handful of Wildcats will be in attendance.
Amari Williams was perfect against Vanderbilt – KSR
He’s been terrific lately.
March Madness prep – Yahoo! Sports
We’re getting close.