PREVIEW: Kentucky WBB faces Vanderbilt in first SEC road game of the season

Kentucky got a dominant win against Mississippi State at home, but as good as that win was, it’s now time to move on to the next game — Vanderbilt on the road.

Get to know the Commodores prior to the 3 pm EST tipoff.

Bio Blast

First and foremost, this isn’t the Vanderbilt of old. Shea Ralph’s team is 14-1 on the year with their only loss coming to No. 21 Michigan State 78-70 on a neutral court. In the offseason, Vanderbilt was picked 10th in the SEC. Even though the conference is deep, 10th seems like a bit of a stretch in hindsight.

Last season, the Commodores finished 6th in the SEC, going 23-10 overall and 9-7 in the SEC. They also made the first round of the NCAA Tournament after winning their First Four game against 12-seed Columbia. There, they lost to 5-seed Baylor — a Baylor team who would end Kenny Brooks‘ run at Virginia Tech in the second round.

We’ll dive into her game a bit more in the Scouting Report, but Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes may just be the best freshman in the country. She’s coming off her best game yet, scoring 36 points in a 108-82 win against Georgia.

Scouting Report

Vanderbilt has a lethal duo between sophomore forward Khamil Pierre and freshman guard Mikayla Blakes. Those two are the only pair of teammates in the country averaging north of 20 points per game. Pierre is the team’s leading scorer with 23.1 points per game, and Blakes is just behind, putting up 20.3 points per contest. Pierre also averaging 10.9 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game.

There’s also Iyana Moore, averages 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. The redshirt senior had a career game against Kentucky last season, scoring 37 points 14-17 (4-5 3PT) shooting while also recording seven assists and four rebounds along the way.

As a unit, Vanderbilt scores 89.9 points per game — good enough for seventh in the country (and remarkably, only fifth in the SEC). On the defensive side of the ball, the Commodores 13.9 steals per game, which is also Top 10 nationally.

Projected Kentucky Starters

#3 – Georgia Amoore

5-FOOT-6 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT

17.5 PPG – 7.3 APG – 2.3 RPG

#7 – Teonni Key

6-FOOT-4 – FORWARD – JUNIOR

11.7 PPG – 9.3 RPG – 2.6 BPG

#10 – Dazia Lawrence

5-FOOT-8 – GUARD – REDSHIRT SENIOR

13.8 PPG – 2.6 APG – 2.3 RPG

#13 – Clara Strack

6-FOOT-5 – CENTER – SOPHOMORE

15.4 PPG – 9.8 RPG – 3.2 APG

#32 – Amelia Hassett

6-FOOT-3 – FORWARD – JUNIOR

11.3 PPG – 10.0 RPG – 1.9 APG

Initial Availability Report

Starting this season in conference play, SEC teams are required to release an availability report, listing players and their injury statuses for their upcoming game.

Here is the initial report for Kentucky-Vanderbilt:

How to Watch/Listen

Place	Tipoff	TV	Radio	Live Stats
Memorial Gymnasium (Nashville, TN)	3 p.m. ET	SEC Network+ (Alex Gould and Richard Hendrix)	630 WLAP, 790 WKRD (Darren Headrick)	StatBroadcast

The final availability report will be available closer to game time.

**Note: Kentucky’s Dominika Paurová is not listed as “Out” because she is completely exempt from the season due to an ACL tear she suffered in the offseason. Jordan Obi, who also suffered a lower leg injury in the summer, may return to the hardwood this season, hence why her name appears on the availability report.**

Follow Along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG

Unable to watch the game? Don’t worry — we’ll be providing real-time updates throughout to keep you informed on the action. Follow along with KSR’s LIVE BLOG, which will get rolling on the website an hour before the game starts.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).