Matchup
The wait is over and it’s go-time for the Kentucky basketball team in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, but in a shocking turn of events, the Cats foe will be Vanderbilt.
The Commodores seeded No. 10, stunned Alabama on Tuesday 82-76 night to advance to the quarterfinals. They have now won two games in two days thumping Georgia 86-51 in the opening round.
Kentucky coach John Calipari doesn’t really worry about who his squad will tangle with. Had it been Vandy or Bama the Cats would have faced a team that lives and dies with its 3-point shooting. They are built to win 3 games in 3 days as well to weaver their way to a title.
The No. 3 seeded Cats will be facing off against the Commodores for the third time this season and have won both of the matchups. But for the UK coach, he’s been in this situation before.
“The other team we’ve played is more inspired. My thing is, I’m not worried about that. How many times I’ve been in this position, I can’t even tell you. Probably lost some, probably won some. My thing is, I’m not worried about that. It’s, how do we get to where we’re in the mental space we need to be in. That we’re a machine. Here we come.”
This is where Coach Cal does his finest work. He has now won 23 games as the UK coach in the SEC tournament with just five losses. Those wins are the fourth-most in league history behind Billy Donovan (27), Wimp Sanderson (25), and Tubby Smith (24).
Calipari has guided the Wildcats to the championship game in eight of the possible 11 tournaments his team has appeared thus far and his squads have cut down the nets six times (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).
Kentucky has its eyes set on winning the SEC and the NCAA Tournament. They are currently projected as a No. 2 seed, but Baylor lost to Oklahoma on Thursday and if the Cats top Auburn in the title game they surely would move back onto the No. 1 line.
Still never count out a team like Vanderbilt. They have everything to gain and nothing to lose at this moment so Kentucky can ill afford one of its sleepwalking starts.
Scottie Pippen, Jr. will make them pay if that’s the case. He seems to do that to a lot of opponents. He leads the SEC averaging 20.3 points per game, 4.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. He will get his points one way or the other but lives at the free-throw line.
The Dores also get big contributions from sophomore forward Myles Stute (8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds), junior forward Jordan Wright (11.5 points, 6.7 rebounds), and senior guard Rodney Chapman.
Kentucky needs a balanced effort from all five spots but must feed Oscar Tshiebwe in the paint. The Commodores have no answer. He is third in the league in scoring at 17.3 points and a league-leading 15.3 rebounds.
It was on January 11 in Nashville when the SEC Player of the Year went off for 30 points and 13 rebounds as UK won 78-66 in a game that was not as close as the final score would indicate. The Commodores trailed by 28 only to dial up the final 16 points of the game as the Cats went scoreless over the last six minutes.
Sahvir Wheeler is back healthy for UK and he leads the SEC dishing out 6.9 assists.
Kentucky won the rematch in Lexington 77-70 as Pippen tallied 33 points, while Davion Mintz led Kentucky with 21 points with Keion Brooks Jr. adding 20 and Kellan Grady a dozen.
WynnBet’s College Basketball Odds has Kentucky as a 10.5 point favorite. The over/under has been set at 141.5 points and the Moneyline has Kentucky at -650 and Vandy +475.
Kentucky averages 80.1 points a game while Vandy puts up 70 points. UK shoots 48.9 percent from the field while allowing 40.1 percent. The Dores make 42.5 percent of their shots while opponents knock down 42.1 percent.
Kentucky leads the overall series 153-47 with Big Blue winning the last 12 meetings and 15 of the past 16. Vanderbilt has actually won the past two times the teams have met in the SEC Tournament 64-48 in 2013 and 71-64 in 2012. The two have met 8 times in the tournament dating back to 1940 with Vandy winning 5 of them.
KenPom likes Kentucky to win 77-66
Vanderbilt has shown vast improvement under Jerry Stackhouse but will run out of gas and weapons against the Cats. Their only chance is to get UK in serious foul trouble which they will attempt to do hacking and very physical and hit about double digits from behind the arc.
My prediction is Kentucky 75, Vanderbilt 67
What Channel is the Kentucky Basketball Game On
Today’s game will be on the SEC Network with tipoff set for approximately 8:30 pm EST.
Play-by-Play – Tom Hart
Color – Dane Bradshaw
Sideline – Alyssa Lang
Kentucky versus Vanderbilt Live Stream
Today’s Kentucky game can be streamed live on ESPN and SEC Sports Network.
Kentucky over the airwaves:
For the radio enthusiasts, our stellar team of Tom Leach (play-by-play), Mike Pratt, and Dick Gabriel (sideline) will have the call on the UK Sports Network. They can be heard at 840 AM around Louisville and in the Lexington area at both 630 AM and 98.1 FM. If you are outside these areas check your local statins or you can always listen online at www.UKAthletics.com
Kentucky’s Next Game and Upcoming Schedule
The winner advances to the SEC Tournament semifinals to face the winner of the Mississippi State (18-14, 8-10) vs. (2) Tennessee (23-7, 14-4) battle that will tip at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network. The Vols won the pair’s lone meeting on the road.
Next: Kentucky's road to win SEC
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For the first time in three years, the Kentucky Wildcats are going dancing.
After earning the 2 seed in the East region, the Cats will head to Indianapolis to face off against the 15 seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
With the news coming out this evening, Vegas is getting their opening lines set, and Kentucky starts out as heavy favorites at 17 points, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
For Kentucky, this invitation to the big dance is their 59th appearance which is the most in NCAA history, and will be the eighth time the Cats have earned a 2 seed.
For the Peacocks, this will be the first matchup against Kentucky in school history. Saint Peter’s comes into the tournament at 19-11 on the season, and posted a 14-6 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
After defeating Monmouth in the MAAC Championship 60-54, the Peacocks will be riding a seven-game win streak into Indianapolis.
This will be Saint Peter’s fourth overall tournament appearance, and the first time since 2011. They are 0-3 in their previous three games.
The Peacocks are led by Daryl Banks III who is averaging 11 points per game on 36% shooting from the field, and 37% from three. He is also accompanied by KC Ndefo who averages 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
For what it’s worth, Rick Pitino’s Iona team beat Saint Peter’s
For Kentucky this will be the start of what many across the BBN are hoping, is another magical run to an NCAA title.
After a poor offensive performance against Tennessee in the SEC semis on Saturday, the Cats will look to retake shape as one of the top offenses in the country. That will be put to the test some, as the Peacocks are the 34th-best defense, according to KenPom.
But what they do well on defense, it appears they struggle on offense as they are 259th in the country in offense by the same metric.
The madness is back folks. Should be a fun ride starting this coming week.
Game: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Saint Peter’s Peacocks in 2022 NCAA Tournament
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Date: Thursday, March 17th, 2022
Time: 7:10 pm ET
TV Channel: CBS
Tickets
Odds: Kentucky is favored by 17 points at DraftKings.
Early prediction: KenPom has the Wildcats coming away with a 74-59 win.
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UPDATE 2
The Kentucky Wildcats’ next game is vs. the Tennessee Volunteers in the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament. Game time is set for approximately 3:00 pm ET on ESPN.
The two border rivals split the regular-season series with each team winning at home.
Kentucky is in position to earn a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a three-game sweep in Tampa, but Tennessee is a very formidable opponent, and possibly the toughest left in the league tourney.
UPDATE
The Kentucky Wildcats will open SEC Tournament play against an unexpected opponent.
The Vanderbilt Commodores will be the late Friday night foe following their Thursday upset win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Tip time should be around 8:00 pm ET on the SEC Network.
The Wildcats swept the regular-season series with Vanderbilt, though the last matchup saw Kentucky struggle at home to put away the Dores before winning 77-70.
After the Baylor Bears fell earlier today to Oklahoma, Kentucky has a very real chance of snatching a 1 seed with an SEC Championship weekend run.
The postseason is here for the Kentucky Wildcats, who open SEC Tournament play Friday in the quarterfinal round. Game time for Kentucky’s opening game is set for approximately 8:00 pm ET.
After watching the women’s basketball team win four games in four days to take home their SEC title in Nashville, the men will look to do the same this week in Tampa.
Thankfully, the path won’t be nearly as daunting for the men, who only need to win three games after earning the No. 3 seed and automatically advancing to the quarterfinal round.
Likely awaiting the Wildcats in the late Friday night matchup are the No. 6 seed Alabama Crimson Tide, who will play Thursday vs. the Wednesday winner of Vanderbilt vs. Georgia. The Dores have been competitive enough to think they can give the Tide a good run, but it’s hard to see Bama not being Kentucky’s opponent for an astounding 20th time in the SEC Tournament.
Plus, a win over Alabama would be a much-needed Quad I win for Kentucky, who is oh so close to the 1-seed line in the Big Dance.
Kentucky is 17-2 all-time against Alabama in the SEC Tournament and 6-1 against the Tide in quarterfinal matchups. They last met in the quarterfinals in 2019 with Kentucky winning 73-55.
Kentucky managed to beat Alabama twice this season, though both matchups were competitive enough to think the Tide may very well win Friday if the Wildcats don’t come ready to play.
If the Wildcats do win, they’ll play in Saturday’s semifinal round, likely against the No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers, who will face the winner of Thursday’s Mississippi State vs. South Carolina. Kentucky and Tennessee split the regular-season series at 1-1 with each team winning at home.
If Kentucky makes it to Sunday’s SEC Championship, the top-seeded Auburn Tigers, but don’t sleep on the No. 4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks or No. 5 seed LSU Tigers being there. Kentucky went 1-3 vs. those teams during the regular season, though all three losses came on the road. It’s safe to think the crowd in Tampa will be largely Wildcat fans throughout the weekend if they make it to Sunday.
As for current bracketology projections, the Wildcats consistently being projected as the first or second 2 seed in the field of 68 with Auburn ahead of them. It’s hard to see Kentucky jumping up to the 1-seed line without winning the SEC Championship.
Kentucky enters the week with the best odds to win the SEC Tournament at +190, followed by Auburn (+260) and Tennessee (+330)
If John Calipari’s team is able to make it to Sunday’s championship game, here is how to watch and stream Kentucky basketball in the 2022 SEC Tournament, along with projections for who Kentucky would play if the top seeds advance in each round.
Game 1
- Likely Opponent: Alabama Crimson Tide Vanderbilt Commodores
- Time and Date: Friday, March 11th at approximately 8:00 pm ET
- Location: All games this week will be played at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
- TV Channel: SEC Network
- Online Stream: WatchESPN, ESPN+, the ESPN app, or use a free trial of fuboTV.
- Tickets
- Replay: WatchESPN, ESPN+ and the SEC Network (check local listings)
- Radio: UK Sports Network with Tom Leach and Mike Pratt.
- Rosters: UK l UA VU
- Stats To Know: UK I UA VU
- Team Sheets: UK I UA VU
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