Kentucky will play Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals

Kentucky will take on the team that handed it its lone loss since Feb. 11 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

In a head-to-head battle between the No. 6 seed Vanderbilt Commodores and No. 14 LSU Tigers, it was the former who came out on top in the Second Round. And they looked the part doing it, leading from start to finish and by as many as 14 points to roll to their ninth victory in ten games.

Arguably the hottest team in the SEC entering postseason play, Vanderbilt finished the 77-68 win shooting 46.4% from the field, 27.3% from three and 63.3% at the line while holding LSU to 33.3% shooting and 26.1% from deep. The Commodores scored more bench points (20-11) and points in the paint (34-32) to help secure the win.

Tyrin Lawrence led the winning team with 22 points on 6-7 shooting and 9-11 at the line while adding five rebounds, two assists and two blocks to go with a team-high plus-11 in the plus/minus. Ezra Manjon put up 17 while Jordan Wright added 15 points and 15 rebounds. And once again, the Commodores did it without star big Liam Robbins, who is out for the season with a broken leg.

LSU star KJ Williams was about the only bright spot for the Tigers, finishing with 26 points (10-16 FG, 4-8 3PT), 11 rebounds and two assists. Cam Hayes added 16 points, while Trae Hannibal rounded out double-digit scorers with 13 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

The result sets up a rubber match between the Wildcats and Commodores, with both teams winning on the other team’s home court in the season series. Kentucky won the first matchup 69-53 in Nashville back on Jan. 24, while Vanderbilt won in Lexington on Senior Night 68-66 back on March 1.

“He’s got ’em playing physical, he’s got ’em playing in a way they have to play,” John Calipari said of Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse following the loss on Senior Night. “They have won some good games and they have beaten some good teams, and we’re one of ’em.”

“We’re just happy about tonight, coming in and having something to play for at this time of the year,” Stackhouse responded. “You know, beating the king at his house, it is pretty special. I mean, I’ve got so much respect for [John] Calipari, and what he’s built and what he’s done. His program, I mean, everybody had him buried at the beginning of the year, and then he got his team playing as well as anybody in the country right now. So this is a big feat for us, not just to come here and beat them, but being a team that’s been probably playing as good of basketball as anybody.”

Kentucky would go on to respond with a statement win at Arkansas to close out, while Vanderbilt defeated Mississippi State in the finale before opening up postseason play with yet another win vs. LSU.

Now, the Wildcats and Commodores face off one final time this season with a spot in the SEC Tournament semifinals on the line. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET.

The game will be broadcast on SEC Network, with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) on the call, along with Alyssa Lang serving as the sideline reporter. Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will be on the radio call for the UK Sports Network, with the game also broadcast on SiriusXM 138 and 190.

An updated look at the weekend schedule in Nashville, Friday through Sunday, with all times listed in EST.

Friday, March 10

• Game 7: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 9 Mississippi State | 1 p.m. | ESPN
• Game 8: No. 4 Missouri vs. No. 5 Tennessee | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
• Game 9: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Arkansas | 7 p.m. | SEC Network
• Game 10: No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Vanderbilt | 9:30 p.m. | SEC Network

Saturday, March 11

• Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner | 1 p.m. | ESPN
• Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN

Sunday, March 12

• Semifinal winners | 1 p.m. | ESPN