No. 13 Kentucky looks to extend Vanderbilt’s historic skid

When No. 13 Kentucky hosts Vanderbilt Wednesday night, it will be a matchup of two teams going in completely different directions.

The Wildcats have been rolling through the conference schedule, one game out of the top spot in the SEC. This position is thanks to a nine game stretch where the Wildcats have won eight of them. The lone loss coming thanks to a buzzer-beater in the final seconds on the road in South Carolina.

While the Wildcats have a lone loss in SEC play, the Vanderbilt Commodores are searching for its lone conference win. Vanderbilt has lost seven in a row this season, rolling into Rupp Arena following a blowout 90-64 loss to South Carolina on Saturday. The Commodores have lost 24 straight regular season conference games, which ties the longest losing skid in conference history. This skid matches Sewanee’s losing skid from 1938-40.

Live Now; @UKCoachJustus Pre-Vanderbilt #BBN #TGT https://t.co/oPLS4YQoPb

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 28, 2020

Winning Wildcats

All the Wildcats do is win. Kentucky rolls into this one after pulling off a hard fought 76-74 win on Saturday against then-No.18 Texas Tech in a hostile crowd in Lubbock.  This win came thanks in large part to the dominant performance of Nick Richards. He posted a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds. This performance helped Richards win National Player of the Week honors.

The Wildcats have been especially dominant inside Rupp Arena. Kentucky looks to win its 11th straight at home when they host Vanderbilt.

Cold Commodores

It hasn’t been easy for the Commodores. Vanderbilt has lost each of its first five SEC contests by at least 15 points. On the offensive end, Vanderbilt has not put together a shooting performance above 40% in the team’s last four games. The main problem has stemmed from the team’s inability behind the three point line. The Commodores have hit just 12 three-pointers in the last three games, including a loss at Tennessee on Jan. 18 where they didn’t hit a single one. In the loss to South Carolina, Vanderbilt missed 25 shots from deep.

In order to pull off a major, unforeseen upset, the Commodores need to come alive offensively.

Tip-Off

The Wildcats look to extend its Vanderbilt’s losing skid to eight tonight. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.