The Wildcats are coming off a gut-wrenching loss at home against Tennessee in a game where they were never really competitive. After falling to No. 17 in the AP Poll yesterday, the 'Cats look to bounce back in Nashville against the struggling Vanderbilt Commodores. If this season is going to get back on track then you must win games like this one tonight.
Jerry Stackhouse is barely holding on to his job here in February as the Commodores sit at 6-15 (1-7 in the SEC) after picking up their first SEC win against Missouri on Saturday. Stackhouse kept his job last season after a run to the SEC Championship game in which they almost made the NCAA Tournament in a result from. A lot of hope was brought into this season for Vandy, but that quickly fell apart. Kentucky will play a desperate team on Tuesday night in a game they must win against a team that feels the exact same way.
Absolutely nothing has gone right this season for Vandy on offense or defense. Offensively, they average 66.4 points per game which is 381st in the nation. Ezra Manjon is probably their only productive player on offense as he averages 15 points per game and is the one that lit up Kentucky in the Commodores' two wins versus the 'Cats last season. This is a game that Kentucky needs to and should win, and they need to do it big. They need to find a way to fix their issues before they play Gonzaga on Saturday afternoon. The offense will roll like always, as Vandy's defense allows 72 points per game. This team just needs to get majorly improved on the defensive end. A good game defensively may not say much because it is against Vandy, but with as bad as our defense has been this season we need to start somewhere. Anything is better than what's been displayed so far.
A win should happen, but the 'Cats cannot overlook an opportunity. Even after a tough loss we still have a tough remaining schedule to play and it continues tomorrow with a chance to improve internal mistakes and prepare for Gonzaga afterwards.
Sticking to the game plan of making the open shots, finding success on the defensive side of the ball, and not letting any road crowd get into your distractions will help Kentucky exit the Music City with a win. This is a team that you are beyond better than, and a loss would derail things off into a deep-end and will put a spotlight on even more long-term problems that you don't want any part of. Go take care of business this evening.
The game will begin at 8:30 PM on the SEC Network.