KSR LIVE BLOG: No. 9 Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Kentucky won its first true road game of the season at Mississippi State two weeks ago. Can the Cats make it two in a row today in Nashville? KSR’s LIVE BLOG will bring you all the sights and sounds from Memorial Gym as the No. 9 Wildcats face the Vanderbilt Commodores (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The Cats are coming off a much-needed midweek bye following the loss to Alabama. Vanderbilt is also coming off a loss to the Crimson Tide, which dropped their record to 15-4, 3-3 in the SEC. Before running into a buzzsaw in Tuscaloosa, the Commodores upset No. 6 Tennessee in Nashville, proof that Mark Byington’s first Vandy squad is legit. They’ll try to create more Memorial Magic today vs. Kentucky. Both teams play a similar, high-tempo offense and shoot lots of threes, which could make for a very fun afternoon.
Will the sizable contingent of Kentucky fans in the crowd push the Cats to their fourth SEC win? Refresh the feed below for updates and our takes on the game, from both Memorial Gym and the couch. You can also join the conversation on the KSBoard Game Thread or by texting your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
FINAL: Vanderbilt 74, No. 9 Kentucky 69
01/25/2025 03:41:24 PMAfter the worst half of the season, Kentucky rallied from 14 down to take a seven-point lead vs. Vanderbilt with 8:39 to go. Unfortunately, the Cats crumbled down the stretch, leading to a 74-69 loss. Whatever happiness you had for Kentucky’s comeback is probably ruined by the team’s (lack of) execution and defense in the final eight minutes. Just a truly frustrating loss, and one that could come to hurt the Cats come SEC Tournament seeding time. Given the amount of Kentucky fans in the building, you can’t even call this one Memorial Magic. Fans stormed the court, which will lead to a $500,000 fine.
Kentucky falls to 14-5, 3-3 in SEC play. It’s the first time this season the Cats have lost back-to-back games. The road just gets tougher, with a trip to No. 6 Tennessee coming up on Tuesday.
Score Update: 37.8 2H – Vanderbilt 73, Kentucky 69
01/25/2025 03:30:44 PMThat might be it. Vandy is up by four with 38 seconds left and has the ball after a turnover by Otega Oweh. Turnovers have absolutely killed the Cats today.
Score Update: 1:21 2H – Vanderbilt 71, Kentucky 69
01/25/2025 03:27:58 PMThis one is coming down to the wire. Tyler Nickel hit a three to put Vandy up 71-69, after which officials missed Amari Williams getting tackled. After a 30-second timeout by Mark Pope, Lamont Butler turned the ball over and Vanderbilt called a timeout. Here we go…
Vandy tells fans not to storm the floor
01/25/2025 03:21:51 PMVanderbilt fans stormed the floor after the Dores upset No. 6 Tennessee last week, resulting in a $250,000 fine. With Vandy leading by three with 3:38 remaining, the Vandy announcer just told fans to stay off the court in case of a win. Hopefully, he just jinxed them.
Vandy reclaims the lead
01/25/2025 03:19:32 PMVanderbilt is not going away quietly. Tyler Tanner tied the game at 62 with 5:17 to go, but Otega Oweh drove the lane, drew a foul, and hit one of two free throws to put Kentucky back on top. Vandy responded with back-to-back buckets to go up three, 66-63. Oweh drew another foul and will head back to the line after the final media timeout.
3:38 2H – Vanderbilt 66, Kentucky 63
Otega Oweh responds to Vandy’s response
01/25/2025 03:13:32 PMVandy’s Devin McGlockton hit a huge three coming out to the timeout to bring Vanderbilt within one. Thankfully, Otega Oweh made the Dores pay for it on the other end with this dunk to make it 60-57 with 7:18 remaining. Oweh is up to 15 points so far, continuing his streak of scoring in double figures in every single game this season.
Massive BG block followed by a Williams layup
01/25/2025 03:12:28 PMKentucky fans are basically chanting “Go Big Blue” nonstop here at Memorial. The Cats lead by four at the Under-8 timeout. Lamont Butler was slow to get up after taking a hard fall on a layup, which was blocked by Devin McGlockton. He was holding his back. Something to keep an eye on as the Cats tried to close this one out.
7:53 2H – Kentucky 58, Vanderbilt 54
Some clarification on the pregame shootaround story going around
01/25/2025 03:03:33 PMOn today’s radio broadcast, Goose Givens said that Vanderbilt did not allow Kentucky to do its pregame shootaround today at Memorial Gym, which could explain why the Cats got off to such a bad start. Jack Pilgrim did some digging and got the real story. Vandy changed the time of its shootaround last night and told UK they could go before or after. Kentucky elected not to hold one.
Lamont Butler gives Kentucky the lead!
01/25/2025 03:01:00 PMLamont Butler is clearly not 100% but he found a way to the basket to give Kentucky its first lead of the half. Butler’s bucket capped off a 12-2 run over the last 4:49. He just hit one of two free throws to push Kentucky’s lead to three.
10:26 2H – Kentucky 54, Vanderbilt 51
Jaxson Robinson ties it up at 51
01/25/2025 02:53:49 PMWe have a tie ball game, folks. A three by Jaxson Robinson tied the score at 51 with 12:48 to go, capping off a 10-2 run by the Cats and bringing fans in Memorial to their feet. Brandon Garrison even motioned to the BBN to get louder, a very cool sight on the road. We’ve got ourselves a ball game, folks. Kudos to the Cats for clawing back.
11:47 2H – Kentucky 51, Vanderbilt 51
Another Almonor three keeps Kentucky within five
01/25/2025 02:47:45 PMMake it three three-pointers for Ansley Almonor, whose latest trey pulled Kentucky within five at the under-16 media timeout. The Cats have hit their last five field goals and are outscoring Vandy 17-8 so far this half, but they could really use some stops to make this comeback legit.
14:57 2H – Vanderbilt 49, Kentucky 44
Score Update: 16:25 2H – Vanderbilt 44, Kentucky 39
01/25/2025 02:45:56 PMOtega Oweh brought Kentucky within three, 41-38, but Vandy’s AJ Hoggard responded with a three to push it back to six. One of two free throws by Amari Williams has it at five with 16:25 to go.
Ansley Almonor three caps off an 8-0 Kentucky run
01/25/2025 02:39:36 PMAnsley Almonor has a knack for hitting threes when his team needs them the most. He just hit one to cap off an 8-0 Kentucky run to bring the Cats within six and prompt Vanderbilt’s Mark Byington to call a timeout. More of that, please!
17:58 2H – Vanderbilt 41, Kentucky 35
Lamont Butler hits a three to start the half
01/25/2025 02:36:10 PMKentucky needs some energy. Maybe a Lamont Butler three will get the Cats going. That bucket was his first of the night, and made possible by an Amari Williams offensive rebound and assist.
19:24 2H – Vanderbilt 41, Kentucky 30
Text Machine warming up
01/25/2025 02:29:27 PMYou can text your thoughts to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).
HALF: Vanderbilt 41, Kentucky 27
01/25/2025 02:18:46 PMWelp, it just got worse for Kentucky over those last three minutes. Vandy’s lead is up to 14 at halftime. The ‘Dores closed the half on a 20-4 run; during that stretch, the Cats turned it over 7 times. They have 10 turnovers total so far. Kentucky has looked off at times this season, but that has to be the worst half of basketball they’ve played this year.
Clearly, they miss Andrew Carr, but this feels like it goes beyond that. Lamont Butler, who is obviously still bothered by his shoulder injury, is really struggling, scoreless on 0-4 from the floor so far with 2 rebounds 2 assists, 2 turnovers, a steal, and a block in 14 minutes.
Check out the first half numbers below, if you dare.
Score Update: 3:16 1H – Vanderbilt 34, Kentucky 25
01/25/2025 02:10:27 PMVandy’s lead is now up to nine after a Jaylen Carey dunk off an Amari Williams turnover. The ‘Dores are on a 13-2 run over the last 4:17. Kentucky has turned the ball over six times in the last 4:33. That had to be one of the ugliest stretches we’ve seen from the Cats this season. Lamont Butler clearly is not 100%, and may have fallen on his bad shoulder trying to defend one of Vanderbilt’s baskets.
A Trent Noah bucket prompts a giant “Go Big Blue” chant
01/25/2025 02:07:30 PMTrent Noah is making the most of his first SEC minutes. After missing a three, Noah got an offensive rebound and put it back to bring Kentucky within three and prompt a very loud “Go Big Blue” chant. Unfortunately, Vandy’s Chris Manon responded with a bucket of his own to put the ‘Dores up by five.
4:30 1H – Vanderbilt 30, Kentucky 25
7-0 run by Vanderbilt
01/25/2025 02:05:04 PMVandy fans are getting loud. The ‘Dores are on a 7-0 run in the last 1:09 to take a 28-23 lead at the 6:07 mark. Jason Edwards capped it off with a layup to take his total to twelve. On the other end, Ansley Almonor was called for an offensive foul, which brought the Vandy bench spilling onto the floor in celebration.
Score Update: 7:49 1H – Kentucky 22, Vanderbilt 21
01/25/2025 02:01:26 PMIt took over 12 minutes but a foul was finally called. Devin McGlockton fouled Amari Williams, who will head to the free throw line after this timeout. He was slow to get up after the collision but seems to be okay now.
Cats up by one.
Kick Rocks, ESPN
01/25/2025 01:59:00 PM
If you’re watching ESPN on a Saturday in January, you don’t give one damn about the NBA. ESPECIALLY a 30-point game in Paris. They had multiple stoppages over the final two minutes for absolutely no reason at all. To make matters worse, ESPN didn’t even tell us the Kentucky game was starting on ESPNews. They just waited until Kentucky was behind 4-5 with two minutes to play.
ESPN: The Worldwide Leader who refuses to stagger tip-off times.
Score Update: 10:33 1H – Vanderbilt 18, Kentucky 16
01/25/2025 01:51:28 PMBrandon Garrison pulled Kentucky within two at Under-12 media timeout. You can also mark “banked-in three” on your Bingo card because Jaylen Carey hit one at the 11:49 mark.
Drawing fouls was one of Kentucky’s objectives this week. Amazingly, neither team has committed a foul in nine and a half minutes of play.
Collin Chandler and Trent Noah are already checking in
01/25/2025 01:49:00 PMWith Andrew Carr out, we knew Mark Pope would experiment with some lineups, but I doubt anybody predicted early minutes for Collin Chandler and Trent Noah. They just checked in, replacing Otgega Oweh and Ansley Almonor. It’s Noah’s first minutes in SEC play. Chandler played three minutes vs. Georgia.
11:21 1H – Vanderbilt 18, Kentucky 14
Score Update: 14:12 – Vanderbilt 15, Kentucky 12
01/25/2025 01:43:09 PMIt’s been a fast and furious start so far here in Nashville. After a three-pointer by Devin McGlockton, Mark Pope called a timeout at the 14:12 mark. Vanderbilt leads 15-12 so far. The Commodores have hit their last three field goals. There have been five threes thus far, three by Vandy and two for Kentucky. Vandy’s Jason Edwards leads the way with 10 points, while Otega Oweh is the Cats’ leading scorer with four. Travis Perry is already in for Lamont Butler.
We knew this would be a high-scoring affair and the first six minutes have confirmed it. Hope you bet the over.
We already have a “Go Big Blue” chant
01/25/2025 01:27:56 PMThe game is still five minutes away from tipoff and we already have a “Go Big Blue” and a “CATS” chant. BBN is ready. So are the CATS:
Kentucky’s starting lineup
01/25/2025 01:19:44 PMStarters were just announced and Ansley Almonor will take Andrew Carr’s spot in the lineup. It will be Almonor’s first start as a Wildcat.
00 Otega Oweh
01 Lamont Butler
02 Jaxson Robinson
15 Ansley Almonor
22 Amari Williams
Greetings from the Crow’s Nest!
01/25/2025 01:14:06 PMHello, friends. I’m writing to you from the Crow’s Nest at Memorial Gym. Tipoff is about 13 minutes away and Blue continues to fill in. I estimate Kentucky fans would make up at least 50% of the crowd. Based on early returns and all the blue around West End on our walk from the UK Alumni Club pregame meetup, I think we may get more than that.
Andrew Carr being out today was surprising news for everyone. For what it’s worth, I would worry too much about it. To me, it seems like a precaution more than anything, trying to give Carr a few extra days of treatment and rest before the SEC grind picks up even more.
Pope on Carr’s injury (plus Oweh at the 4?)
01/25/2025 01:06:13 PMMark Pope tells Tom Leach on pregame radio that Andrew Carr has been battling his back injury for a “few weeks” now and they just want to get him settled in. Pope also mentioned that we could see more of Ansley Almonor, Trent Noah, and Collin Chandler in Carr’s absence. Even *more* interesting though was him saying that 6-foot-4 Otega Oweh and 7-foot Brandon Garrison might play minutes at the 4 today. Vanderbilt is undersized, so this could be a good opportunity to toy with some frontcourt lineups.
Blue got in…
01/25/2025 12:42:50 PMMemorial Gym will be a sea of blue today if the atmosphere is anything like the pregame scenes in Nashville. Big Blue Nation got in again, folks.
Andrew Carr OUT today
01/25/2025 12:34:38 PMAndrew Carr won’t be giving it a go today in Memorial Gym. A lingering back injury listed him as OUT two hours before tipoff. Carr’s back has been an issue for a few games now, but this is the first time he’ll actually miss a game. Will we see more Ansley Almonor minutes? This certainly isn’t the best news after a week off from games.
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