Andrew Carr looked more like his old self vs. Vanderbilt

Amari Williams and Collin Chandler are the obvious standouts from Kentucky’s 82-61 win over Vanderbilt, the former turning in a perfect performance and the latter a breakout one; however, another player deserves special mention.

Andrew Carr returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Kentucky’s game vs. Alabama on Jan. 18 and responded, scoring 11 points, his most since the win over Texas A&M on Jan. 14. He was 5-8 from the floor, including 1-3 from the three-point line. He added two rebounds, an assist, a block a steal, and two turnovers in 21 minutes.

“It means a lot,” Mark Pope said of Carr’s performance. “For the last month, we felt like we’ve been without three of our leaders in Lamont [Butler] and Jaxson [Robinson] and Andrew and he’s been working so hard to find his way back. And I thought he was brilliant.”

Carr’s production is obvious on paper, but in watching the game, it was clear how much more comfortable he looked on the court, which Pope attributed in part to Carr’s back being healthy enough for him to practice on a consistent basis.

“He really did look like his old physical, attacking self. The last two days were the first time where he had back-to-back, essentially full practices and I think he felt much better jumping back into the starting lineup. And I thought he was really, really good tonight. We all know this. Andrew Carr performed tonight against a really imposing front-line. This is a terrific defensive team. This is a really special Vanderbilt defensive team, and I thought he was terrific.”

Carr told reporters his back is “pretty much” back to 100%, the results of which we saw tonight.

“I have been feeling a lot better these last couple of weeks. [I am] trying to stack some good practices and some good days in a row. Trying to get back in a rhythm and feeling. Now I am feeling a lot better.” 

“It definitely makes a difference,” Carr added of stacking practices. “I think being able to go through as much in-game simulation as possible in the days leading up to it gives you confidence in your abilities and allows you to get back to what you can do. Injuries have a mental impact as well, sometimes. So, I have been using practice to get back to being comfortable in my body.”

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Praise for Ansley Almonor

Pope also opened up on his decision to start Carr over Ansley Almonor, who filled Carr’s spot in the starting lineup for seven games. Pope said he informed Almonor of the change yesterday, and the senior forward took it in stride. Almonor came off the bench to score nine points, all threes, in 17 minutes.

“I also want to give some major, major kudos to Ansley Almonor. I talked to Ansley yesterday and told him that I was going to start Drew, and Ansley has been playing incredible basketball. He’s one of the most lethal shooters in our league, and he’s also been fighting like crazy, and he was like, ‘Coach, let’s go.’ He just doesn’t skip a beat. So it’s a really beautiful thing to have guys on your team like Ansley Almonor, who just are doing whatever it takes and playing elite-level basketball again, like he did tonight. So happy, happy for both those guys.”

Carr has started almost every game of his college career. Pope said returning to that routine may have been another reason he found his groove again.

“There’s a comfort level there. And I think he was ready both ways. It’s the healthiest he’s been, and I think moving back to the starting lineup, I think both those things were important for him, but he was a crucial piece for us tonight.”

“It is great,” Carr said of tonight’s win. “It has been a lot of hard work every morning with the training staff and everything. So, it has been a long road, and so we knew it was a matter of time before it was going to be like today again, so to be able to see results is awesome.” 

For more on Andrew Carr’s comeback, check out my longform feature on his journey to Kentucky and his road to recovery. Tonight was a perfect example of how Carrs don’t quit.