Cutting It Close: Kentucky Stages Big Rally to Defeat Vanderbilt on Senior Night
By J Bill Sosh
Trailing by 19 points early, Kentucky Basketball embarked on the biggest comeback of the Coach Cal era to beat the Commodores 74-67 at Rupp Arena Tuesday night and clinch their 50th SEC regular season title.
It was a struggle, but Kentucky Basketball won their seventh straight game and also clinched the top seed in the SEC tournament. This one was a rollercoaster that started with a big downhill slide straight from the top.
Falling Behind
Maybe it was the emotions of Senior Night. Or perhaps the unexpected sight of Derek Willis using the occasion to pop the question to his girlfriend (she said yes!). Whatever the reason, Kentucky was off-kilter from the start and found themselves in a big hole almost from the get-go.
Vandy raced off to a 7-1 lead. The Wildcats finally got going and cut the lead to 11-6. But then the visitors really started to heat up. The Commodores scored 14 straight points to go up 25-6 with 7:45 left in the first half. Included in that run was four straight three-pointers.
Just like the last game versus Florida, Kentucky’s battled to get back into it in the waning minutes of the first half. The were able to turn what looked like a runaway train going the wrong direction into a real contest. They played some full court pressure defense to force turnovers and get Vandy out of their rhythm. They were able to cut the deficit to 30-24 by halftime.
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Righting The Ship
It wasn’t all smooth sailing in the second half either. Vanderbilt hit six of their first seven shots to rebuild their margin to 47-34 with 13:51 remaining. But then the Cats once again turned up the defensive heat. Extending the pressure to full court again, they forced Vandy into eight of their 18 total turnovers the rest of the way.
Though not as dramatic as against Florida, for the second straight game Malik Monk had a big second half to spark the Cats to victory. This time he had 20 of his game high 27 points after halftime.13 of those came in the final 11:08. He hit a three with 3:42 remaining to give UK a lead they never relinquished at 62-60. In the final minutes he hit another shot from beyond the arc and four free throws to salt away the victory. This freshman has been Mr. Clutch in these two crucial wins.
More Keys To The Win
Derek Willis only scored three points in his final home game, but they were big. He hit a three with 4:47 left to give Kentucky their first lead of the game at 59-57. He was a huge contributor in other ways, leading the team with eight rebounds and three blocks. Plus he got engaged. He’s going to remember this Senior Night for a long time.
Isaiah Briscoe had one of his best games in quite a while. He scored seven points and had seven rebounds and six assists. Probably best of all, ZERO turnovers. He went to the locker room midway through the second half with a thumb injury. He returned with a tape job and contributed to the comeback down the stretch.
De’Aaron Fox showed the effects of the knee injury that caused him to miss the Florida game and some recent practice time. He had a team-high five turnovers and especially struggled to secure the ball and get off shots on his patented drives to the basket. But he settled down as the game went on and hit a big jumper late. Hopefully he just needed this one to shake off the rust and get ready for the home stretch.
Miraculously, the Wildcats didn’t require the Isaac Humphries Index to pull out the win. They were able to save the deadliest weapon in college basketball for when it’s really needed later.
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Regular Season Finale
The Cats last game before the post season will be Saturday at Noon as they travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M. Kentucky will seek their eighth straight win and keep the good mojo going in the rematch versus the Aggies, who they defeated 100-58 earlier this season in Rupp Arena.