Kentucky closed out a thoroughly impressive January with an 87-52 blowout of Vanderbilt on Tuesday night at Memorial Gym in Nashville.

The No. 7 Wildcats (17-3, 6-1 SEC) won their seventh straight game since dropping their league opener on Jan. 5 at Alabama.

That game seems light years away now as UK has strung together one strong performance after another, including three straight wins over ranked opponents prior to the Vanderbilt game.

There was no letdown, no so-called trap game. The Cats took care of business early in their latest victory, jumping all over the Commodores, who had pressed top-ranked Tennessee to overtime before losing last week in the same venue.

It was 45-15 at halftime.

"To do what we did -- we did it defensively and rebounding and sharing the ball -- that's how this happens," UK head coach John Calipari said. "We kind of did everything. That's the kind of game we're looking for.

"We just have to figure out where do we go, how do we keep pushing this?"

PJ Washington led UK with 26 points and 12 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season. The sophomore forward from Dallas scored 18 of his points in the first half as the Cats built their insurmountable lead.

"He's so confident, making plays," Calipari said of Washington. "... If he keeps doing this, and I told him, I'm not letting him back up, he can be this guy."

The Cats also got 14 points off the bench from sophomore center Nick Richards, 12 points from freshman wing Tyler Herro and 11 points from freshman wing Keldon Johnson.

Kentucky shot 56 percent from the field (30 of 54) and committed only seven turnovers.

Defensively, the Cats held Vanderbilt to 37 percent from the field (17 of 46) and forced 20 turnovers. UK turned those miscues into 24 points.

The Commodores (9-11, 0-7 SEC) got 15 points from Saben Lee and 14 from Aaron Nesmith.

*****

In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...

THE GOOD:

It's been awhile since UK fans could enjoy a game where the Cats jumped out to a big lead and continued to build on it. This was a thoroughly satisfying blowout, rare in the SEC these days. UK head coach John Calipari all but guaranteed none of these would occur in league play this season.

THE BAD:

The Cats are used to going into Memorial Gym and facing one of the more challenging atmospheres they experience on an annual basis. On Tuesday, it could not muster more than a low conversational buzz in the background the entire game. At one point, the cameras even picked up on a Vandy student in the pep band reading her book during the action.

THE UGLY:

Vandy has been playing without its expected starter at point guard, Darius Garland, all season. The Dores hung close to the Cats in Lexington by controlling the tempo, but it got ugly on this night when UK raced to the big lead. Bryce Drew's club had issues running anything in a first half which saw them go 5-of-20 from the field and cough the ball up 14 times.

GAME BALL:

PJ Washington, Kentucky -- Another MVP performance in the books for the sophomore forward, who has the look of a player on a mission. Washington's offensive night included 9-of-15 shooting from the field, a 3-for-3 performance from beyond the arc, and a 5-of-6 effort at the line.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Kentucky player (PJ Washington) to have at least 26 points and 12 rebounds against Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium since Kenny Walker on February 7th, 1985 (31 points, 15 rebounds)

10 - Three-pointers by UK on 17 attempts, a 59-percent shooting night.

18 - Assists for UK on 30 made field goals. Ashton Hagans led the way with eight dimes.

28-3 - Run by the Cats to close out the first half, taking a 17-12 lead to 45-15.

30 - Bench points for UK after posting none against Kansas.

38 - Largest lead for UK (70-32, 9:11 second half)

8:04 - Without a field goal to end the first half for Vandy.

1996 - The last time UK beat Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium by 35 or more points (39 points)

QUOTABLE:

"Wow. We've played here 10 times, and all the other ones have been tough games." -- UK head coach John Calipari

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Saturday at Florida. The Gators (11-8, 3-3 SEC) play host to Ole Miss on Wednesday prior to the Cats visiting Gainesville.