Vanderbilt Guards Shoot Past Kentucky 80-73, Wildcats Bounced in SEC Tourney Quarterfinals
NASHVILLE — With a sea of blue surrounding the court at Bridgestone Arena, Kentucky entered the SEC Tournament quarterfinals off the back of its most impactful win of the season.
As has become standard for the Wildcats this season, momentum means nothing, as a hungry Vanderbilt team won what felt like a road game in its own city, knocking No. 3-seeded UK off 80-73, adding another curious and baffling chapter to the season that has caused headaches in Lexington.
Shooting guard Antonio Reeves remained scorching, totaling 22 points, and forward Jacob Toppin acquired a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double, but three Commodore guards pushed their team another step closer to a March Madness berth.
Ezra Manjon collected his season-high with 25 points, burning rubber every time he touched the basketball. Jordan Wright and Tyrin Lawrence flanked the speedy point-general with 18 points each. Every time a question was asked of the bubbling hometown team, it answered, doing so emphatically, defeating the Wildcats for the second time in nine days.
"Defensively, we didn't really do well, couldn't keep them out of the paint," Toppin said. When they got into the paint, they either made layups or they dished it out for three. That's really what killed us, and free throws, got to make free throws if we want to win a game."
Kentucky missed nine free throws on Friday, stymying momentum again and again, bulldozing its chances for late-game heroics. a disappointed coach John Calipari confirmed postgame:
"Vandy deserved to beat us. They made their free throws. We missed ours," he said. "You got to take care of what's in front of you, and we didn't tonight."
The game of runs initially favored Kentucky, as the Wildcats jumped out to a 14-4 lead, thanks to a 12-0 spurt that was highlighted by Reeves' first two 3-pointers of the game, the second of which nearly the blue-heavy crowd into a frenzy.
Kentucky's early intensity was a welcomed change and perhaps a sign that there would be no nail-biting down the stretch. The feisty Commodores had other ideas, which they quickly made known.
A 3-pointer from both Wright and Manjon sent a quick 8-0 punch back the way of UK, serving as a reminder of what happened inside Rupp Arena just nine days ago, when VU got the better of the Cats during Senior Night in Lexington.
Then came a flurry of jabs from both sides, moving along what was one of the quickest halves of basketball that Kentucky has been involved in this season. Reeves led his side with 11 points, though Toppin — who had missed a couple of practices in the lead-up to Friday due to an undisclosed injury — was an animal on the glass, pulling down nine rebounds to go along with 10 early points.
Vandy found a new level in perimeter shooting, as it connected on seven 3-pointers in the half, beginning to overwhelm the Cats. Reeves hit the bench for the final few minutes until halftime, leading to a 12-0 run for the Dores, capped off by a corner trey from Wright.
Despite out-rebounding Vandy 22-9 and running out to a 10-point cushion in the opening minutes, Kentucky found itself trailing by five at halftime.
Kentucky wore that crunching uppercut into the locker room, but it proved to sting a little longer than anticipated, as the Cats found themselves on the back foot for the rest of the evening, trying to hold onto the rope.
It was again disappointing what those plays were, then what we missed," Calipari said of the big run. "I kept saying we had to get close. We're going to win this, just make a play. Someone's got to make a play. If you're open, drop it. Someone's going to have to go get a block out of nowhere. We just didn't have it and they did."
Manjon was the aggressor, scampering past the hole-filled Kentucky defense for six fast points, while Wright and guard Lawrence continued to find their shots. In a flash, Kentucky was down double-digits.
"He's been unbelievable, how he runs the team," Vandy coach Jerry Stackhouse said of Manjon. "He's still a calming presence with the guys. You can feel it. When the seconds was ticking off there, it's not a show. It was true emotion of those guys, understanding the work they put in."
"They were a little quicker. We were trying to give space. But we didn't want to give angles, and we gave angles up," Calipari said. "But they made tough shots too now. They made some of the layups that were really hard shots. You've got to give them credit."
Reeves remained the hot hand, while Oscar Tshiebwe tried to elbow his way into space, yearning for every rebound he could gravitate towards. The Cats made five field goals in a row at one point, clawing to a 54-48 deficit.
The Commodores cooled down, finally succumbing to the occasional cold spell. A pair of free throws from Toppin and Reeves had the VU lead down to 63-60 with just over seven minutes to play.
Vanderbilt didn't care, as its seasoned guard trio couldn't stop scoring. Manjon hoisted and connected on a deep 3-point shot at the end of the shot clock, cutting the Cats' momentum.
It feels good to beat them, honestly," Wright said. "One of the biggest brands in college basketball. Any time you get a chance to beat them, feels great."
Toppin bullied his way into the lane, getting a layup to fall off the glass, trimming Vandy's lead to 68-64. Offense then tried to elude both teams down the stretch, allowing UK to only prod at the deficit.
Reeves flew off a screen and canned another 3-pointer to make it 71-67 Vandy with 2:13 to play. On cue, VU answered. The answers kept coming, almost like Stackhouse had a "Basketball For Dummies" book in the huddle.
We believe in us. You know what I'm saying? We're going to be us, and we believe in us. That's all that matters," Stackhouse said after the vital win. "All the other noise doesn't matter. We're not worried about Bracketology or anything else but the next game. That's what we're looking forward to."
Kentucky never wavered and hung around until the final whistle, but it never led in the second half. It will now watch another team hoist the SEC Tournament trophy for a fourth consecutive time. The Cats will head back to Lexington and await their fate on Selection Sunday, as they'll find out their path to a national championship.
"Every time we've taken a spill, the whole country jumps on us, it seems like they come back with a vengeance," Calipari said. "That is the plan."
The NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed around 6 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 12.
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