KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky's win at Vanderbilt

Kentucky earned its first true road victory of the season, taking down taking down the Vanderbilt Commodores by a final score of 78-66 in Nashville.

The Wildcats finished the game shooting 52.5 percent overall and 50 percent from three while again dominating the glass (42-26) and turning the ball over just nine times.

How did it all come together? And what does it mean for the Wildcats as they look ahead to their matchup vs. Tennessee on Saturday?

Sahvir Wheeler misses his second (almost third) straight game

Kentucky was without its starting point guard for a second straight game, as Sahvir Wheeler sat out due to a neck injury suffered at LSU one week ago.

“(His neck is) still bothering him,” Calipari told Tom Leach prior to the opening tip in Nashville.

Wheeler missed the final 36 minutes of Kentucky’s loss in Baton Rouge before sitting out against Georgia. In his absence vs. the Bulldogs, TyTy Washington broke John Wall’s single-game assist record with 17 dimes to go with 17 points.

Missing him again, the Wildcats still managed to come out on top, with Washington, Davion Mintz and Kellan Grady starting in a three-guard lineup and playing the bulk of the minutes. The unit combined for 33 points, eight assists, six rebounds and six assists in his absence.

Oscar Tshiebwe is a NPOY contender

Another day, another record-breaking performance for Kentucky’s anchor in the middle. This time, Oscar Tshiebwe finished with a career-high 30 points on 11-16 shooting and 8-10 from the line to go with 13 rebounds, one assist, one steal and zero turnovers in 35 minutes.

It was the first time a Kentucky player broke the 30-point, 10-rebound mark since Patrick Patterson had 33 points and 11 rebounds on Dec. 22, 2008 vs. Tennessee State.

It’s yet another dominant outing for a player who continues to make the historic numbers feel normal.

• 17 points and 20 rebounds vs. Duke
• 14 points and 20 rebounds vs. Robert Morris
• 24 points and 16 rebounds vs. Mount St. Mary’s
• 0 points and 10 rebounds vs. Ohio
• 12 points and 14 rebounds vs. Albany
• 12 points and 16 rebounds vs. North Florida
• 20 points and 16 rebounds vs. Central Michigan
• 23 points and 11 rebounds vs. Southern U
• 25 points and 7 rebounds at Notre Dame
• 16 points and 12 rebounds vs. North Carolina
• 14 points and 28 rebounds vs. Western Kentucky
• 13 points and 20 rebounds vs. Missouri
• 15 points and 8 rebounds vs. High Point
• 8 points and 13 rebounds at LSU
• 29 points and 17 rebounds vs. Georgia
• 30 points and 13 rebounds at Vanderbilt

For those keeping track at home — all of us — that makes 12 double-doubles in 16 games for Tshiebwe. He’s now averaging 17.0 points and 15.1 rebounds per contest, shooting 63 percent from the field and 72.5 percent from the line.

Those are National Player of the Year numbers, end of discussion. He not only deserves to be in contention, the superstar center should be listed among the favorites, potentially at the top.

Keion Brooks Jr. with a sneaky strong performance

Nine points and five rebounds aren’t flashy numbers on the surface, but Keion Brooks Jr. was a clear impact piece on the floor on Tuesday. Adding two assists and a steal, the junior forward played with energy and aggression, serving as the perfect complementary piece in the frontcourt.

Brooks is a mismatch waiting to happen with his length, speed and athleticism, but only when those traits are utilized. Looking to attack the basket while also knocking down open shots when those opportunities presented themselves, the 6-foot-7 forward played within himself and made winning plays to help the Wildcats secure their first true road victory of the season.

Kentucky doesn’t need Brooks to be a star or shoulder the bulk of the scoring load on any given night. He can, however, be a crucial winning piece and the difference between a good and a great team. UK certainly looked like the latter for a strong portion of the win with his help.

Scotty Pippen Jr. goes for 32

The SEC’s leading scorer certainly looked the part on Tuesday, as Scotty Pippen Jr. finished with a game-high 32 points on 11-18 shooting and 6-11 from three to go with four assists, three steals and three turnovers in 32 minutes.

Pippen entered the day averaging 18.3 points on 43.1 percent shooting and 30.7 percent from three. He’s now scored at least 20 points on seven different occasions, including two 30-point outings.

Kentucky did a solid job elsewhere — only one other Commodore finished in double figures (Trey Thomas, 14 points) — but Pippen was still a star.

An ugly finish in Nashville

Kentucky led by 28 points with 6:14 to go, blowing out the Commodores on their own floor with “Go Big Blue” chants echoing through Memorial Gymnasium. It was a truly dominant performance for the Wildcats on both ends leading up to that point.

From there, though, Vanderbilt went on a 16-0 run to close out the game, with Kentucky shooting 0-7 overall and turning the ball over four times during that stretch. A 28-point beatdown quickly turned into a fine 12-point victory.

UK covered the spread and won by double digits on the road in an SEC game, but the final six minutes certainly left a bad taste. It was one of the first things Calipari mentioned after the game, stressing the need for complete performances and not “letting go of the rope.”

A very good performance in Nashville, six minutes shy of being great.

11 straight wins over Vandy

Kentucky’s first true road victory of the season also marked the team’s 11th straight over Vanderbilt, the longest among all SEC streaks for the Wildcats.

UK last fell to the Commodores back on February 26, 2016, a 74-62 loss in Nashville. Before that, a 64-48 loss in the SEC Tournament back on March 15, 2013.

Calipari moves to 20-4 against Vanderbilt during his time in Lexington.