Burn the tapes. Cancel the flights. Just get out of town.
Nashville has officially become a house of horrors for this program. After getting absolutely crushed by Gonzaga (94-59) in this same city back in December, Kentucky returned looking for revenge. Instead, they found rock bottom against Vanderbilt.
A first half to forget for Kentucky
Let's not sugarcoat it: That first half was as bad as Kentucky basketball has played all season. Yes, even worse than the Gonzaga game.
Going on the road in the SEC is hard, sure. But coming off a 5-game win streak with a chance to prove they belong in the upper tier? The Cats were absolutely atrocious.
Kentucky started 9-of-32 from the floor. Vanderbilt? 16-of-36.
You would think with all those bricks, Kentucky might crash the glass and use its size against a smaller Vandy team. Think again. They got dominated 27-16 on the boards in the first half. The players looked mostly disinterested, and the scoreboard reflected it.
Rushed, bothered, and beat
It was painful to watch. Kentucky looked rushed and bothered every time they touched the ball. Vanderbilt looked smooth.
The Cats found a tiny pulse in the middle of the first half to cut the lead to 30-19, but then Vanderbilt ripped off a 10-0 run, and that was all she wrote. The Cats were down by as many as 27. And in the second half, you know, the time when this team usually makes a run? Vanderbilt slammed the door shut.
Shooting woes and hero Ball
The Commodores took care of the ball. Kentucky treated it like hot potato.
The shooting struggles continue to put a hard cap on this team's ceiling. They finished just 19-59 from the field.
And Otega Oweh? He struggled all night. Instead of letting the game come to him, he tried to force the issue, driving into traffic and finishing 7 of 19.
This is a team that built a brand on second-half comebacks. Tonight? They had just 10 points in the first 9 minutes of the second half. When they needed a punch, they didn't even have a slap.
The magic evaporated
Whatever magic Mark Pope thought he had found over the last two weeks evaporated in the Music City air. Look at this resume of games in Nashville lately:
- Lost 99-70 to Alabama
- Lost 94-59 to Gonzaga
- Lost 80-55 to Vanderbilt
Nashville is a city Kentucky doesn't want to visit again. Unfortunately, that is where the SEC Tournament is held.