STAFF PREDICTIONS: UK-Vanderbilt

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Published Feb 11, 2020

STAFF PREDICTIONS: UK-Vanderbilt

Justin Rowland • CatsIllustrated

Publisher

@RowlandRIVALS

Late last month Vanderbilt gave Kentucky all it wanted in Rupp Arena before the Wildcats surged ahead to avoid the upset.

Now Kentucky is ready to venture into Nashville with a regular season sweep on the line.

CI writers offer their takes and predictions before UK-Vandy.

Jeff Drummond: Vanderbilt upsetting LSU to end its record-setting SEC losing streak probably did Kentucky a big favor. It was going to happen sooner or later, and the Cats may have taken the Commodores a little bit for granted if they were still riding the streak. The fact that they knocked off the league leader (while scoring 99 points) probably got UK's attention, if it wasn't achieved already by the Dores' decent showing in Rupp Arena on Jan. 29. Still, this Cats have a big edge in overall talent going into this game. They should take care of business. Kentucky 80, Vanderbilt 69.

Travis Graf: Against LSU (and almost against Kentucky), Vanderbilt showed that, despite their record, that they can knock off a good team if the opponent comes in with a lack of focus. With that being said, I think the Commodores caught Kentucky’s attention the first time around and the ‘Cats will come out ready to play from the opening tip. Memorial Gymnasium is a weird place to play, but Kentucky keeps focus and rolls in this matchup, with Ashton Hagans trending back in the right direction. Kentucky 78, Vanderbilt 59.

David Sisk: If Kentucky is focused, this should be a week in which they can have some comfortable wins. I’ll give Vanderbilt credit, they haven’t folded the tents. They are undermanned, but they play hard. They also get up and down and don’t look to shorten the clock. In Saben Lee, Kentucky will see one of the most athletic guards of the season. Vanderbilt will be competitive, but they just don’t have the guns to keep up for forty minutes. Kentucky 84 Vanderbilt 70.

Justin Rowland: Vanderbilt is 1-9 in SEC play and this has been a disastrous season for the Commodores but all that really matters is what's happening now. The Commodores' strong effort in Rupp Arena seems to have given this team a little confidence. Their last several outcomes are: a nine-point loss at Rupp, a six-point loss to Florida, a nine-point win over LSU which was previously unbeaten in SEC play, and a 10-point loss at Mississippi State. So while we're all going to remember this as a bad Vanderbilt team, they are not playing like a horrible team at this instant. This is a good Kentucky team but when's the last time they blew an opponent out? While I have picked them to win by 20-point margins, or at least comfortable margins, it just has not happened. So while I will pick the Wildcats to win in Nashville, I can't bring myself to call for a blowout. Kentucky 74, Vanderbilt 66.