Watch Keith and Maggie's post-game recap from Facebook live here.
For the first time this season, the Kentucky men's basketball team was able to get revenge on an opponent, as a second-half surge propelled the Wildcats past the visiting Vanderbilt Commodores Wednesday night inside Rupp Arena, 82-61.
With the win, No. 17 Kentucky moves to 18-8 on the year, 7-6 in conference play and 1-1 against Vandy after previously falling to the Commodores in Nashville.
Otega Oweh paced the Wildcats with 20 points, in his eighth game eclipsing the 20-point mark and his second in a row. He played a team-high 31 minutes and finished just shy of his career best, 24 points. Koby Brea also saw 31 minutes of action, and he finished the night with 12 points. Amari Williams and Andrew Carr joined them in double-figure scoring, with 17 and 11 points, respectively. Ansley Almonor finished just shy of the mark, with nine points off a trio of three-point baskets.
Collin Chandler had his best night as a Wildcat, finishing with seven points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. The freshman's previous career-high was six points, which came against Jackson State in November.
Brea opened the game in a hurry, with a pair of three-pointer in the night's first five minutes. Almonor added two, three-pointers of his own in the first half, while Williams opened the game with nine points and five rebounds. Collin Chandler had already notched a career-high seven points, with a three-pointer, a layup and a pair of free throws to compliment his two steals in his first seven minutes of first-half action.
.@collinchand13r, NEVER. GIVE. UP.
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 20, 2025
📺 - @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/VCTzFEmjQS
Oweh was leading the way for Kentucky at halftime with 11 points, making him the only Wildcat to already hit double-figure scoring and continuing his streak of scoring in double figures in every game so far this season.
Vanderbilt guard Devin McGlockton matched Oweh with his own 11-point first half, before finishing as his team's leading scorer with 14. The Cats had the one-point edge, 41-40, as both teams hit the locker room following the first-half buzzer.
Kentucky opened the second half on a 6-0 run, and - with Rupp Arena rocking - the 'Dores were forced to call an early timeout as UK took a 7-point lead, 47-40.
Vanderbilt responded with four quick points to cut Kentucky's lead back to one possession, but the Cats pushed back, first on offense. The Commodores were struggling to find an answer for Williams down low, and he continued to go to work in the paint while the triples started falling for the Cats. Both Carr and Brea saw one go in from deep as part of a 12-2 run that put the Cats up, 59-46.
.@collinchand13r ➡️ @apc_andrew for a 3️⃣ to extend the lead to double figures.
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 20, 2025
📺 - @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/GMeZNSSq3y
They never looked back. Kentucky's offense continued to click down the stretch, with Oweh and Perry tacking on additional three-point baskets. By the end of the night, six different Wildcats had connected on at least one three-pointer, while the team as a whole finished shooting 58 percent from the field (29-50), 41 percent from deep (11-27) and 100 percent from the free throw line (13-13).
The Wildcats led by as many as 24 before finalizing the 21-point victory to get back in the win column.
Kentucky will play another so-called revenge game this Saturday, when the Cats make the trip to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 4 Alabama. The Wildcats previously fell to the Crimson Tide inside Rupp Arena, 102-97, on January 18th.
UK will return to action in Rupp Arena the following Saturday, for its only meeting of the regular season against No. 1 Auburn.
For more on Kentucky basketball and all of the Wildcats, join us weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on BBN Tonight.
