It was February 12, 2008. It was a cold night in Nashville, Tennessee, especially inside Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym for the visiting Kentucky basketball team. The Cats entered the game riding a five game winning streak and left with wounded pride. The Commodores came into the game looking for blood after the Cats had given them their first loss of the season in January. With ten minutes gone by, the Cats were already down 17 points. By halftime, the game was no longer in doubt, as Vanderbilt led 41-11. The second half saw Kentucky score more frequently, yet the final margin of victory was the only thing in doubt. The game ended with Vanderbilt winning by 41 points and Kentucky. As a true Cat fan, I made myself watch the entire game, taking in the scene, as gruesome as it may have been. My reasoning was that this team would hopefully remember that night and come back the next time they played Vanderbilt and exact their revenge.
That time has come, as Vandy will be in Rupp Arena on Saturday in the conference opener for both teams. Now, it is Kentucky’s time to embarrass the Commodores. To do so, the Cats will have to jump on the Dores early and shoot the ball well. Kentucky must challenge the tenacity of Vanderbilt very early in the game and see if these young guys can react to it. This time, there is no Shan Foster or Ross Neltner to lead the charge for Vandy. In fact, Vanderbilt doesn’t have a senior on the roster. For seven of the Commodores, it will be the first time they will step into Rupp Arena as a player.
Vanderbilt has relied heavily on their defense this year. The Dores lead the SEC in scoring defense, allowing just 58.4 points per game this year. They have forced their opponents to shoot an average of 36% from the field for the year, ranking them fourth in the country.
To beat the Commodores, Kentucky will have to focus on a few key points. First, the Cats must limit their turnovers and force Vanderbilt into giving the ball up. Kentucky has struggled this season with turnovers, including 21 against Louisville on Sunday. In Vandy’s first 11 games, they averaged 16 turnovers a game. In their last three, they have only turned it over 9 times a game.
Next, the Cats must control the boards if they want to win on Saturday. In their 11 wins, Vanderbilt has a +9.5 rebounding margin. In their three losses, the Commodores were outrebounded by an average of 8 boards a game. It’s pretty obvious that attacking the boards will be crucial to winning this game.
Finally, Kentucky must have a third scorer emerge beside Patterson and Meeks. Vandy plays real good defense and will most likely double team Patterson when he touches the ball and probably do the same to Meeks. The Cats need a third threat to step up and force the Dores to limit their double teams on Patterson and Meeks. I look for someone like Perry Stevenson or Josh Harrellson to step into that role. With Patterson getting the main focus, these guys can slip away from the basket and get points from 15 foot jumpshots. In doing so, the interior defense will be forced to play honest and Patterson will be able to have another big game.
If the Cats can focus on thes three keys to the game, they will be able to serve Vandy that cold dish of revenge on Saturday.