Kentucky vs Vanderbilt......A Preview..Part 2

Lwcat
WT Administrator

Kentucky vs Vanderbilt..A Preview..Part 2
(2/20/10 Saturday-6PMEST/5PMCST)
TV-ESPN

Vanderbilt

Location-Nashville, Tn
Enrollment-6,378
Arena-14,316

Head Coach-Kevin Stallings
Career Record-312-191 (62.0%) 16 seasons
At Vandebilt-189-128 (59.6%) 10 seasons

2008-09 Record-19-12
2008-09 SEC Record-8-8
2008-09 Postseason -None

2009-10 Record-20-5
2009-10 SEC Record-9-2

Vanderbilt 95 Lipscomb 73
Vanderbilt 72 St. Mary’s (Calif) 70
Cincinnati 67 Vanderbilt 58
Vanderbilt 68 Chaminade 41
Vanderbilt 84 Arizona 72
Vanderbilt 89 Missouri 83
Vanderbilt 67 DePaul 54
Illinois 79 Vanderbilt 68
Western Ky. 76 Vanderbilt 69
Vanderbilt 84 Tennessee St. 71
Vanderbilt 99 Mercer 59
Vanderbilt 86 Manhattan 48
Vanderbilt 82 Southern Miss 46
Vanderbilt 73 Middle Tenn. St. 53
Vanderbilt 95 Florida 87
Vanderbilt 65 Alabama 64
Vanderbilt 89 South Carolina 79
Vanderbilt 82 Auburn 74
Vanderbilt 85 Tennessee 76
Kentucky 85 Vanderbilt 72
Vanderbilt 75 Mississippi St. 72
Georgia 72 Vanderbilt 58
Vanderbilt 90 Tennessee 71
Vanderbilt 77 LSU 69
Vanderbilt 82 Ole Miss 78

Vanderbilt Stats / Kentucky Stats

PPG-78.4 / 81.3
FG%-48.4% / 48.4%
3 Point FG%-36.7% / 36.6%
FT%-70.5% / 68.8%
Rebounds-36.3 / 42.6
Assists-13.3 / 15.6
TO’s-14.0 / 15.2
Steals-6.2 / 7.2
Blocks-5.8 / 7.2

Probable Starting Lineups

Andre Walker F-6’7” So. (PPG-6.0)
Jeffery Taylor F-6’7” So. (PPG-13.9)
A.J. Ogilvy C-6’11” Jr. (PPG-13.3)
Jermaine Beal G-6’3” Sr. (PPG-14.8)
Brad Tinsley G-6’3” So. (PPG-7.7)

Other Key Players

Lance Goulbourne F-6’8” So. (PPG-3.8)
John Jenkins G-6’4” Fr. (PPG-10.4)
Steve Tchiengang F-6’9” So. (PPG-3.2)

Vanderbilt in defeating Ole Miss has now won 14 of their last16 games….with only away losses to UK and Georgia. The Dores have a season record of 20-5 and are 9-2 in the SEC East…...2nd only to UK. Importantly, Vandy is currently ranked 17th in the AP and 19th in USA Today. This very good record is not a shock for a team that spent 10 days in Austraila in August and returned every starter from last season. Vandy over the years has often been an over achieving team…...fundamentally sound in executing it’s offense and defense….typically having some good perimeter shooters…..but, not having overall great talent or being a great athletic team. Coach Kevin Stallings, who has coached the Dores over the past 10 years, is recognized as one of the best coaches in the SEC.

Vandy is led in scoring by Sr. Jermaine Beal who is shooting a nifty 39.2% from the perimeter hitting 56-143 shots. Brad Tinsley and Beal lead the team in assists with 73 and 70 respectfully. Jeffery Taylor and A.J. Ogilvy are both scoring in double figures and are shooting 50% plus from the field……in addition, Taylor and Ogilvy are the Dores leading rebounders.

Vandy has always been tough to beat in Nashville and this season is no different…..currently, the Dores are 13-0 at home including a 5-0 SEC record on their home court. When UK comes calling..…it is always a huge game….and Vandy is encouraging all their fans to wear gold…..arrive early….and make a ton of noise!
The Dores will be wanting to even the score after losing to the Cats in Rupp Arena 85-72.

UK, the survivor of a an extremely hard fought OT win in Starkville against Miss. St. will likely be going from the fire into the frying pan in Nashville. Although, as rabid as Vandy fans have been, it is very doubtful that they repeat the recent classless actions of some Bulldog fans.

Horrible shooting from the perimeter….4-24…. by UK against Miss. St. made the game a lot closer than it needed to be. In fact, in reviewing 3 point shooting the past 4 games…..UK was 3-16 against Alabama…..7-19 against Tennessee….5-17 against LSU …..and 4-24 against Mississippi St. The overall total for the past 4 games is a very poor 19-76 for only 25% from long range. Obviously, the Cats will be facing more and more varying zone defenses….packing it in to take away touches for Cousins or Patterson….and daring the Cats to make 3 point shots. Hopefully, UK is only in a temporary shooting slump from long range, because to win the remaining SEC games and be successful in the NCAA….the Cats need to hit at least 33% from the perimeter and likely more.

On the plus side, DeMarcus Cousins continues to be a beast in the paint..….Patrick Patterson is now much more aggressive on the offensive and defensive ends…..while John Wall is hitting on all cylinders with great play….only excepting a few too many TO’s at times. It was great to see Darius Miller finally put together a solid game and DeAndre Liggins remains a consistent solid contributor off the bench.

UK is obviously getting everyone’s best game and most hostile crowd on the road. The Vandy game in Nashville has been historically rough on the Cats as UK has lost their last 4 games in Nashville. In reviewing the UK win over Vandy in Lexington….UK was smoking hot from 3 point range hitting 12-23 while Vandy was 5-15. While I don’t expect UK to repeat that torrid 3 point shooting, they will need to shoot a decent percentage from long range. Also, the Cats out rebounded Vandy by a huge number…41-22….again, I don’t expect a repeat of that huge rebounding advantage, but it will be important for the Cats to significantly out rebound the Dores….especially on the offensive boards.

As coach Calipari has said…..all the remaining games will be very tough and challenging…..perhaps none more than the Vandy game. It will be critical for these young Cats to play with intensity….take care of the ball…..play solid defense…..and shoot a good percentage from the field and free throw line. In short, UK needs to bring their A game against the Dores! This will be a very close game…..but, I see UK winning by 3-5 points. GO CATS!