Did Kentucky revert back to its old ways or just get exposed against Vandy?

Kentucky faced the wrong team to try and perform their second-half comeback against.

Jan 21, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts to a play during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats were in a very familiar position on Saturday. After falling behind quickly against the Vanderbilt Commodores, Kentucky basketball was faced with having to put together yet another big second-half comeback as they took a 20-point deficit into halftime. But, this hole was a different one that the Wildcats had to climb out of.

You see, Kentucky got hit in the mouth and didn't respond. The reason they couldn't respond is because the Wildcats finally ran into a team that isn't going to let their opponent feed off of their offense, which is what Kentucky relies on. Against LSU, Kentucky was able to rally a comeback thanks to a struggling offense without their best player, in which it was easy to exploit given their sloppiness and lack of efficiency, as they rank 14th in the conference in turnovers as well as total offense. Then, against Tennessee, the Vols are the sloppiest team in the conference and one of the most in college basketball. That's how Kentucky got back into those games. Not only that, but against Mississippi State at home, who is the worst offense in the SEC and also the worst at creating turnovers of their own. With this team, it starts with their defense, and on Tuesday, faced a Vanderbilt team that is excellent at taking care of the ball and beat Kentucky on the glass, all while being one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the country. Vandy is not a team that plays into Kentucky's hands to aid in a comeback and it was evident.

Kentucky is a team that relies heavily off of transition and offense and defense is why they can be so successful at that. But, they were flat-out exposed in that area on Tuesday. If their defense isn't producing, it's hard to find any intensity from this Kentucky team. But even aside from the defense alone, Kentucky did not have any urgency to find ways that could even help them dig out of the hole. Vanderbilt came in allowing teams to get to the line easily, yet it was Vanderbilt taking control of that in the second half, which was when the Wildcats needed to show urgency the most. Vandy went 16-19 from the free-throw line in the second half, while Kentucky went just 8-11.

Jan 27, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Mike James (0) and Kentucky Wildcats guard Denzel Aberdeen (1) battle for the ball during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

All in all, the Commodores are a much different team than the others Kentucky has successfully been able to come back against this season, an offense that is very hard to slow down on their home court and one that isn't going to let you score off of their mistakes. But, the ironic thing is, that's exactly what Vandy did to Kentucky. They had 28 points off of 15 turnovers, while the Wildcats had just eight points off nine turnovers. Oh and they did that all without their best defensive player, Duke Miles, who had seven steals the game before Kentucky.

Mark Pope's squad now has four embarrassing losses on the season and this one was the biggest wakeup call of all. His team cannot come back against everyone and their issues and lack of urgency was exposed against a really good Vanderbilt offense. Fans were waiting for Pope to work his second-half magic, but it never came, not even a glimpse of it.