Vicky Graff Photo
Kentucky counted on its veterans to avoid a rare sweep by Vanderbilt on Wednesday night.
Otega Owah scored 20 points to lead the No. 17 Wildcats to an 82-61 win over the Commodores, avenging an earlier-season 74-69 loss to Vandy in Nashville. Kentucky (18-8, 6-7 Southeastern Conference) broke open a close encounter by outscoring the guests 41-21 in the second half.
Amid late-season lineup changes because of injuries to starters Lamont Butler (shoulder) and Jaxson Robinson (wrist), the Wildcats have learned to adjust with a makeshift starting lineup and getting contributions from the reserves.
“This was a great response by our guys,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “I’m really incredibly proud of our guys. We’re learning as fast as we can with this new roster. We got a bunch of guys stepping up and I thought they did a great job.”
Pope said the late-season adjustment with lineup changes remains a “work in progress” despite the team’s easy victory over Vandy.
“It’s a brand new season and I think it’ll give them a lot of confidence,” Pope said. “We had fun, and we had such huge contributions from everybody. This is a team that beat us down at their place.”
Vanderbilt coach Mark Mark Byington said the Wildcats turned it up a notch after the game on Jan. 25 in Nashville.
“I thought Kentucky was at a higher level today,” he said. “Their efficiency on offense, their execution, their shot-making, everything from 12-of-12 free throws in the first half to just finishing threes.”
Playing a second straight game without two of their top players, the Wildcats flourished against the Commodores. Behind Oweh, Kentucky’s veteran players combined for 69 points. Amari Williams (17), Koby Brea (12), Andrew Carr (11), and Ansley Almonor (9) followed the precedent set by Oweh in the double-digit victory.
Carr tallied double-figures for the first time since scoring 10 at Ole Miss on Feb. 4. Carr returned to the starting lineup after dealing with back issues. Pope welcomed a healthy Carr with Butler and Robinson on the bench. Carr’s last start was against Alabama on Jan. 18.
“For the last month we felt like we’ve been without three of our leaders in Lamont, Jaxson, and Andrew,” Pope said. He’s been working so hard to find his way back. I thought he was brilliant. He really did look like his old, physical, attacking self.”
While the veterans provided a bulk of the scoring, newcomers Collin Chandler, Travis Perry, and Trent Noah also contributed, with Chandler scoring a career-high seven points off the bench.
“I thought Collin just gave us a massive boost tonight energy-wise,” Pope said. “…. he is going to help us in a huge way as we move down the stretch.”
Perry knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and tallied six, while Noah provided a defensive presence while guarding Vanderbilt’s top scorer Jason Edwards.
The bounce-back performance following a disappointing 82-78 loss at Texas last Saturday gave the Wildcats momentum going into Saturday’s contest at No. 4 Alabama.
“I’m happy for our guys that they get this little injection of energy — right positive energy,” Pope said. “It’s like, OK, we’ve got a brand new team and in Game 1, we played well, but we didn’t finish the way we wanted (at Texas). They’ve got a big challenge of all challenges going to Alabama and seeing if we can deal with that insanity down there.”
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Gametracker: Kentucky at Alabama, 6 p.m. Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network.
Kentucky-Vanderbilt MBB
Photos by Vicky Graff
6 Responses
We will win or lose with our current available roster. Our injured players are unlikely going to be healthy even by tourney time. Even if they are, they will not be in physical shape or in competition shape. Re-inserting them back into the lineup now would cause more disruption than good. We have a decent team that can win IF they commit to playing team ball, playing defense…they can, they just don’t like to, rebound…they can when they make and effort to do so, hit freethrows…they can but they don’t stay focused, and cut down on the turnovers…keep the ball moving but don’t try to make the difficult pass, they are also difficult to catch. We can beat everybody left on our schedule, but Missouri will be the hardest. They get the best refs money can buy and literally play defense with hatchets. Winning 4 out of the last 5 just MIGHT get us a double bye in Nashville.
Great pics!
Hey look, win or lose, I love the cats and have since 1969.I learned a long time ago , no need in getting mad when they lose because the very next game if they won I was happy til next loss.. So enjoy it’s the best show in town.. I’m going on 70 years old and I’ve been a fan for 55 years. My only hope as a fan is I’ve often wondered how blue that blue really is.. Since i a teenager I always dreamed of going to Rupp and seeing that beautiful blue in person .. I will never stop hoping
Great post Ray and I hope someone can find way to get you to Rupp.Where do you live
Larry helped me get my mom to Rupp when she was in her 90’s and she talked about it until the day she passed. I have never forgotten his kindness or Chris at BBN Cares for giving my family a memory that will always be remembered!
Loved being able to help work that out for her