LEXINGTON, Ky. -- John Calipari had a pop-quiz for the media after Kentucky held off Vanderbilt's upset bid on Wednesday night at Rupp Arena.
"What did you learn about my team?" the UK head coach asked.
After a long pause and a few responses, Calipari revealed the answer: "You need Nick."
Junior center Nick Richards was sidelined by foul trouble for almost half of the game, and the result was scary for No. 13 Kentucky, which trailed the struggling Commodores for almost 18 of the 40 minutes before rallying for a 71-62 victory.
The Wildcats overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half, thanks in part to keeping their 7-footer on the floor.
"What happens is, he gets in foul trouble on dumb fouls. You can't do that to us. We need you on the court," Calipari said of Richards, who bounced back to finish with 15 points and 11 rebounds to spark the comeback effort.
"He is in unbelievable condition. The difference in the second half," Calipari added.
After shooting 38.5% in the first half, Kentucky (16-4, 6-1 SEC) shot 53.3 percent in the second. Richards had all of his points and all but one of his rebounds after the break.
Jerry Stackhouse, a former NBA standout now leading the Vanderbilt program, was asked if Richards looked like a future pro.
"Absolutely, I think he has all of the tools," Stackhouse said. "He’s still working on his game. I just see how he has improved... The sheer ability to play above the rim, set screens and roll, crash the offensive boards. The best Nick Richards that you’re going to see isn’t going to happen while he is here, at Kentucky, he’s going to be a guy who’s ceiling is going to be a lot higher at the next level.”
With Richards' defensive presence on the floor, UK held Vandy to 25.9% shooting (7 of 27) from the field in the second half. The Commodores shot 51.9% in the first half.
Kentucky also got double-figure scoring from freshman guard Tyrese Maxey (17), sophomore guard Ashton Hagans (12), and sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley (11).
Vanderbilt (8-12, 0-7 SEC) lost in regular-season league play for the 25th consecutive time, which broke a record. The Commodores got 21 points from guard Saben Lee, 13 from Dylan Disu, and 12 from Scotty Pippen Jr.
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In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…
THE GOOD:
Kentucky could have panicked when Vanderbilt stretched its lead to 10 in the second half, but the Cats kept their composure and methodically crept back into the game. Afterward, UK coach John Calipari credited the comeback to the Cats becoming a "player-driven team," and even credited sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley for coming up with the plays that helped UK pull away.
THE BAD:
It was a rough 10:38 run for UK freshman forward Keion Brooks Jr., who had no points and only two rebounds. That was coming off no points and no rebounds in seven minutes at Texas Tech. Calipari had a few discussions with the young Cat about his body language in this one as frustration mounted.
THE UGLY:
Trailing a team by 10 points in the second half that had lost 24 consecutive league games felt like a classic case of playing down to the level of competition, a bad habit for this particular UK team this season.
GAME BALL:
Nick Richards, Kentucky -- The junior big man recorded his ninth double-double of the season despite playing only 22 minutes due to foul trouble. To John Calipari's point, Kentucky was +16 when Richards was on the floor. The next closest Cat in the +/- column was Ashton Hagans at +8.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Double-digit comeback win for Kentucky since Feb. 26, 2019, at home against Arkansas.
9 - Consecutive games in double-figure scoring for UK's Immanuel Quickley.
11-0 - Kentucky advantage in second-chance points.
14-0 - The Wildcats' record when outrebounding the opponent this season. UK won the battle of the glass 37-29.
40-30 - Vanderbilt's lead with 18:20 remaining in the second half. Only twice this season have the Cats trailed by double figures (17 vs. Utah).
148-47 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series against Vanderbilt, including an 18-4 mark under John Calipari.
182-7 - The Cats' record under John Caliipari when holding opponents to 63 or fewer points.
20,311 - Attendance at Rupp Arena.
QUOTABLE:
"The officials that threw me out at Arkansas, I need to kiss them on the lips, because they did us a huge favor. Where we became empowered and it became a team driven by players instead of me and them looking -- they're down at half and they come in at halftime looking for me to give them a bailout. And I'm, like, Hey, guys, you didn't play hard. Nothing else. If you want to win, talk to each other. So, but having a team empowered this early, here at Kentucky, is unusual.." -- Kentucky coach John Calipari
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday at Auburn in a 6 p.m. ET tipoff on ESPN. College GameDay will broadcast from the Plains as the Cats face the Tigers (18-2, 5-2 SEC) in a rematch from last year's Elite Eight. Bruce Pearl's squad won 83-82 in double-overtime on Tuesday against Ole Miss.
