Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball toppled its second giant of the season on Jan. 25, beating No. 9 Kentucky by a score of 74-69 at Memorial Gymnasium. The dramatic win prompted students to storm the court for the second game in a row after the Commodores previously beat the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers at home on Jan. 18.
The Commodores were led in scoring by Jason Edwards once again, who netted 18 points. Edwards was accompanied by Devin McGlockton (14), Tyler Nickel (11) and Jaylen Carey (10) in the double-digits.
“The way we just bounced back from that loss [Alabama] is really proof that our guys are super tough,” Edwards said after the game. “I feel like we can be one of the best teams in the country. We can compete with anybody.”
First half
Devin McGlockton won the opening tip for Vanderbilt, but Chris Manon missed a 3-pointer from the corner to set up a Kentucky slam to start the game. Jason Edwards answered immediately with a triple from the top of the key, and Kentucky converted a quick layup on the other end, but Edwards countered with one of his own to make it 5-4 Commodores through the opening possessions.
After misses by both sides, Manon threw down an emphatic dunk to stretch Vanderbilt’s lead to 7-4, but Kentucky compensated with another 2-pointer from inside the paint. Both sides wasted a handful of possessions before Kentucky’s Ansley Almonor, Vanderbilt’s Edwards and then Kentucky’s Jaxson Robinson exchanged triples in back-to-back-to-back possessions. The Commodores then scored five straight off of an Edwards mid-range jumper and a McGlockton 3-pointer to give themselves a 15-12 lead and prompt Kentucky head coach Mark Pope to call his first timeout of the game.
The Wildcats opened with a dunk shortly after the break, and MJ Collins and Tyler Nickel failed to convert back-to-back 3-point attempts. A strong defensive front from the Commodores forced four-straight scoreless possessions from the Wildcats to set up a 3-pointer by Jaylen Carey. Kentucky broke the drought with a tough layup from under the hoop to cut Vanderbilt’s lead to 18-16 before a media timeout.
Vanderbilt played strong perimeter defense for 25 seconds before Kentucky’s Koby Brea drained a deep 3-pointer to give Kentucky its first lead since the opening basket. Tyler Tanner answered with one of his own, but so did Kentucky.
A reckless block attempt by McGlockton sent Kentucky’s Amari Williams to the ground, but the graduate student rose uninjured and sank one of two free throws. Nickel drained a 3-pointer at the other end to reclaim the lead for Vanderbilt at a score of 24-23. McGlockton and Edwards added to the lead with layups on the next two offensive possessions, making it 28-23 Vanderbilt.
A sloppy transition play by Vanderbilt resulted in three consecutive turnovers, but Kentucky was only able to capitalize with one bucket. Manon and Carey countered on the other end with layups on the next two possessions. Carey wasn’t done yet, though, as a turnover by Kentucky set him up for a monstrous slam that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Kentucky called a timeout with Vanderbilt up 34-25.
The Wildcats failed to make use of the timeout, but Jaylen Carey missed both free throws on the other end to put the ball back in their hands. The sophomore made up for it with a block on defense to set up a Collins triple on the other end. Kentucky’s Brandon Garrison hit a floater to cut into Vanderbilt’s lead, but smooth team play from the Commodores set up an easy bucket for McGlockton to make it 39-27.
The Black and Gold forced yet another turnover, and Collins capitalized on the other end with a layup. Vanderbilt’s defense held strong for the final seconds of the first half to send the game into the break with a score of 41-27 Commodores.
Second half
The Commodores missed a chance to convert the first bucket of the half, and Kentucky swung momentum its way with a triple on the other end. Edwards fouled to send Otega Oweh to the line for two shots, both of which he converted to cut Vanderbilt’s lead to 41-31.
Poor communication on defense left a Wildcat wide-open in the corner for an easy 3-pointer, which sent the visiting fans of Big Blue Nation into riots. Pro-Kentucky chants rang out through Memorial Gymnasium and Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington was forced to call a timeout to stop the bleeding.
Manon missed an open look from beyond the arc out of the timeout, then committed a foul on the other end to send Oweh to the line again. He converted both attempts, but AJ Hoggard drained a triple to give Vanderbilt some breathing room again at 44-38.
A controversial foul call sent Williams to the line for two, but he only converted one. Nickel gave the home crowd something to cheer about with a 3-pointer on the move, but after the Commodores and Wildcats exchanged 2-pointers, Kentucky made a 3-pointer of its own. A media timeout was called, and the score stood at 49-44 Vanderbilt.
Edwards missed a hard 3-point attempt after the break, and Kentucky made him pay with a jumper at the other end. More unproductive possessions by Vanderbilt allowed Kentucky to bring the score within 1 point, but Nickel made a tough layup at the other end to make it 51-48.
On the very next possession, the Wildcats tied it up with a 3-pointer, and deafening cheers filled the arena. A media timeout was called with Kentucky on a 24-10 run to start the second half. Manon went to the line after the timeout but missed both attempts to set up a Kentucky layup. More mental errors sent Lamont Butler to the line for Kentucky, but the guard only managed one make.
A disoriented Vanderbilt allowed four more unanswered points before Jaylen Carey drained his second 3-pointer of the night to stunt Kentucky’s momentum and bring the score to 58-54 in favor of Kentucky. A block by McGlockton breathed life into Vanderbilt’s struggling defense and brought the home crowd back into the equation.
McGlockton cashed a triple from the corner out of a media timeout to make it 58-57, but a thunderous dunk by Oweh gave Kentucky a cushion. Edwards got two shots from the line but only made one, continuing Vanderbilt’s struggles from the charity stripe. The ‘Dores were just 1-for-6 from the line at that point.
The North Texas transfer found himself at the line for two the very next possession, making both this time to tie things up at 60 apiece. Oweh made a floater at the other end to reclaim the lead for the Wildcats. Quick footwork by Tanner gave him space, and he tied the game up, but a foul on the other end sent Oweh to the line again, and the junior sank one of the shots to make the score 63-62.
Tanner came up clutch for Vanderbilt again by assisting McGlockton before converting one of his own on a fast break. Oweh found himself at the line again after the exchange and once again only converted one, but the Wildcats came down with the rebound to set up a triple from the corner. Hoggard converted a layup at the other end, but Oweh did the same to maintain Kentucky’s lead with a score of 69-68.
Nickel drained a clutch 3-pointer from the shoulder to take the lead back, and Pope elected to call a timeout with the score at 71-69 for Vanderbilt with 1:36 left in the game. A steal by McGlockton negated any planning done by the Wildcats, and Byington called a timeout to rally the troops with 1:21 left on the clock.
McGlockton converted a jumper thanks to the regroup to give Vanderbilt a 4-point lead, and Oweh turned the ball over on the other end. A personal foul sent Edwards to the line for one-and-one shots, and he converted the first before the Wildcats called a timeout to gameplan with the score at 74-69 and 24 seconds left in the game.
Edwards missed the next free throw, and while Manon came up with the ball, he stumbled out of bounds before Byington called a timeout, giving Kentucky the ball. However, the Wildcats missed a 3-point opportunity, and Hoggard nabbed the rebound and made his way to the line after a tactical foul. The veteran missed the shot, but the Wildcats never got a shot off, and the Commodores walked away with a 74-69 win.
It marked the Commodores’ second top-10 win in the last seven days and sent the home crowd onto the court in a celebratory frenzy. Byington was happy for the fans but has bigger plans in mind.
“At one point, I want it to be where we’re not surprised or don’t feel like the underdog in these games,” Byington said. “We’re not there yet, so let the fans enjoy it. I’m happy for them. What a memory for them.”
Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball will look to make more memories for its fans as it hits the road for its next matchup against Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. CST on Feb. 1.