John Calipari explains why Kentucky should be concerned with Vanderbilt

Kentucky and Vanderbilt are set to face off on Friday for the third time this season, this time in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Ahead of the matchup, Kentucky head coach John Calipari expressed some concerns about Vanderbilt, including the play of guard Scotty Pippen Jr.

Calipari notes that the emergence of Pippen could singlehandedly be enough to lift the Commodores to victory on this stage.

“We’ve got touch matchups,” Calipari said of Kentucky facing Vanderbilt again. “Pippen has killed us, probably averaging 40 a game against us. And when you get in these environments, if a guy can go put up 40, you’re probably losing. But they got everybody healthy, they had some guys out. So I would say they’re dangerous and playing as well as anybody in our league right now.”

As Calipari alluded to, Pippen has had two very strong games for Vanderbilt against Kentucky this season. In a loss on Jan. 11, Pippen shot 11-18 from the field, 6-11 from three, and posted 32 points with four assists, two rebounds, and three steals. In a 77-70 loss on Feb. 2, Pippen again had a strong game, shooting 11-23 from the field, 9-12 from the free throw line, and posting 33 points with six rebounds and five assists. Pippen also posted 26 points and seven assists in Vanderbilt’s upset victory over Alabama in the second round on Thursday.

If Kentucky wants to move on to the SEC Tournament semifinals, the Wildcats will have to listen to Calipari’s message and find a way to slow down Pippen throughout the game.

Kentucky has a path to the top line with an SEC title

The winner of Kentucky-Vanderbilt on Friday night will advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals on Saturday, where they will face the winner of Friday’s game between Tennessee and Mississippi State. The winners of Auburn-Texas A&M and Arkansas-LSU will play in the other semifinal matchup.

Kentucky has not played in nearly a week, as the Wildcats had a double bye through the first two rounds of the tournament. The Wildcats are on a two-game winning streak, as they beat Ole Miss and Florida to round out the regular season. Kentucky has a path to being a one seed in the NCAA Tournament, and an SEC title would make it tough to pass on the Wildcats on the top line.

But as Calipari said, Kentucky’s road to the title begins with a tough matchup against Vanderbilt. The Commodores have won three in a row, including wins on two consecutive days to open the tournament.

Tip for Kentucky-Vanderbilt is set to take place approximately 25 minutes following the conclusion of Tennessee-Mississippi State, who play at 6 p.m. ET.