Kentucky basketball's recent defensive struggles have been a focus of attention after their loss to Tennessee. Despite their strong offense, their defense has been letting them down, leading to a drop in rankings. Ahead of their game against Vanderbilt, concerns about their defensive performance were raised. However, Kentucky dominated the first half, leading 54-38 at halftime, with a scorching 10-of-12 from behind the arc and 15 offensive rebounds. The Wildcats' offensive prowess was evident as they shot 58.3% from the field and knocked down 71.4% of their 3-pointers. Antonio Reeves and Rob Dillingham were standout performers, scoring 16 and 13 points respectively. Kentucky's impressive offensive display resulted in a 72-54 lead over Vanderbilt with 11:56 left in the game.
Kentucky has 15 offensive rebounds to Vanderbilt's 13 defensive rebounds. Cats 72, Commodores 54 with 11:56 left.
Halftime: Kentucky 54, Vanderbilt 38 The box: https://t.co/yqXH3DZPtT
HALFTIME: Kentucky 54, Vanderbilt 38. Wildcats shoot 58.3% (21 of 36) from the field and knock down 71.4% (10 for 14) of their 3-pointers. Antonio Reeves has 16 points while Rob Dillingham has 13.
Kentucky is a scorching 10-of-12 from behind the arc and leads Vanderbilt 52-30 with 2:36 still left in the first half here at Memorial Gym. #BBN #ukbasketball
Not a typo: Kentucky is 9 for 11 (!!!!!) on 3-point attempts so far.
Kentucky's offense in full flight right now: 8-0 run in less than a minute, 12-2 in the last 2:23. Now up on Vanderbilt by 20 points, 42-22, with 6:42 left in the first half.
Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 22 at 1H 7:59 TV time. UK has a 13-8 edge on the board over the Commodores. Ugonna Onyenso has three rebounds to lead the Cats' cause. Rob Dillingham up to 13 points. #BBN #ukbasketball
Big Z makes an appearance. Scores on a put-back. Buries a 3 from the top of the key. Kentucky 25, Vanderbilt 15 at the 11:38 1H TV time. #BBN #ukbasketball
Kentucky came out hot, up 15-8 on Vanderbilt at 1H 15:38 TV time. https://t.co/szZXYiyM78
Kentucky off to a hot start offensively, scoring 15 points in the game's first five minutes. It's up 15-8 on Vanderbilt at the under-16 timeout, which comes with 14:38 remaining in the half. Wildcats are 6 of 10 from the field, including 3 for 4 on 3s.
Not sure why Kentucky is just an 8.5-point favorite tonight at Vandy. I know the Cats refuse to even attempt to play defense, but that number still seems low to me. Guess we’ll see in a bit.
Yep, the other side of the coin is this… Again, conference play only. Kentucky’s offense: 3rd best Vanderbilt’s offense: 13th best https://t.co/rdh6ZIFro9
During conference play only, Kentucky’s defense is 13th in the SEC according to KenPom. Vanderbilt’s is 7th. The question is, can Vanderbilt find enough shooting to take advantage? https://t.co/5QusoWyK8I
Vanderbilt faces off against Kentucky tonight. If Kentucky hasn’t figured some things out defensively perhaps Vanderbilt can make things interesting. https://t.co/dppleV2H7B
ICYMI, I went back and looked at Kentucky's defensive struggles against Tennessee's inbounds plays. (Spoiler alert: They were the same play.) https://t.co/pbXqBtrXPw
A deep dive into Kentucky basketball's defensive breakdowns on inbounds plays in Saturday's loss to Tennessee. https://t.co/pbXqBtrXPw
Let's talk Kentucky. Its offense is still awesome, but its defense is letting it down. The Wildcats' recent slide has dropped them out of not just @CJMooreHoops' newest top-10, but his entire 25-team ranking for this week ⤵️ https://t.co/RRAUbBY9oV https://t.co/Z2JyL4aTF6
Tennessee averaged 1.367 points per possession. Kentucky averaged 1.260 points per possession.
Kentucky coach John Calipari after loss to Tennessee: "At halftime I was amazed we had a chance. Give Tennessee credit, they made shots and did stuff. . . . Three plays hurt us, out-of-bounds. When you don't have the right guy on the ball, that stuff happens."
I compared Kentucky's defensive numbers this year to teams that made past five Final Fours. #BBN #ukbasketball https://t.co/AZ6Bz6owF8