No. 25 Vanderbilt begins a season-ending three-game road swing with a Southeastern Conference game against Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in Lexington.
The Commodores (22-6, 9-6 SEC) are coming off an 88-80 win over Georgia on Wednesday, snapping a two-game losing streak.
They now prepare for the final stretch of the regular season and understand it’s crucial to stay on a winning streak, especially as they vie for an NCAA tournament bid. Vanderbilt is ranked 13th in the KenPom rankings.
Head coach Mark Byington said after the win over Georgia that he believes his team is heading in the right direction to be at its best when it matters most.
“That’s what you want,” Byington said. “We’re not close to the postseason yet, whether it’s the SEC tournament or NCAA, but we want to be playing good basketball.
“We don’t play anymore at home. We have to be playing our best for what is ahead.”
Kentucky (18-10, 9-6) just ended a three-game losing streak with a 72-63 win over South Carolina on the road.
The Wildcats, ranked 30th in the KenPom rankings, play two of their final three at home, where they are 13-3.
They beat the Gamecocks despite turning the ball over 15 times, marking the first time they have won an SEC game while doing so this season. The Wildcats, averaging 10.6 turnovers per game, are 7-0 in conference play when committing 10 turnovers or fewer.
“It’s going to be important that we continue to get better at protecting the ball,” head coach Mark Pope said in a postgame radio interview. That marker (10 turnovers or less) is important for us. It’s been almost perfect in its predictive value of the outcome of the game.”
Vanderbilt’s Devin McGlockton recorded his fourth double-double of the year in the win over Georgia, racking up 17 points and 10 rebounds. He is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
“Devon was possessed,” Byington said. “He was not going to let us lose this game. You could see his determination. He plays hard every night.”
Tyler Tanner is the leading scorer at 18.5 points per game for a Commodores team averaging 87.3 points per outing.
One question mark for Vanderbilt is the status of Frankie Collins, who has not played since suffering an injury Dec. 17. He was originally slated to return at some point during the SEC schedule.
Byington told reporters after the Georgia win that he’d update everyone when he has a “definitive answer.”
The Wildcats are averaging 80.9 points per contest and are hoping to avenge an 80-55 loss to Vanderbilt in their last meeting on Jan. 27. Kentucky is 4-3 since that game.
Denzel Aberdeen scored 19 points in the win over South Carolina, knocking down four 3-pointers, to lead the way. He’s averaging 12.9 points per game on the year and has made 46 shots from 3-point range.
In the last meeting with Vanderbilt, Aberdeen scored 15, with Otega Oweh leading the way with 20 points.
Vanderbilt has played well on the road, going 6-3 away from home in true road games this season.
