The nation’s top ranked team returns to action tonight as the Kentucky Wildcats square off against SEC rival Vanderbilt in Nashville. This evening’s game, which will be televised live on ESPN, is scheduled for a 9:00pm ET tip at the Memorial Gym. The latest NCAAB Picks have the Wildcats listed as a -5 against the spread favorite over the hosting Commodores; the game total is set at 137 points.
Kentucky looks like an unstoppable force right now, having reeled off 16 straight wins. The Wildcats, which are 10-o in SEC play, faced their biggest potential threat in quite some time on Tuesday in Billy Donovan’s Gators; however, they treated Florida in the same unforgiving manner as the rest of their conference foes. Kentucky dispatched the Gators with ease, cruising to a 78-58 win at the Rupp Arena in Lexington.
The Wildcats defensive prowess, once again, played a major role in the victory as Florida shot just 34.9 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc. Freshman forward Anthony Davis, who is making a strong case for player of the year honors, turned in another outstanding performance, posting 16 points, six rebounds, two steals, and four blocks. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague also had impressive stat lines, each recording a double-double (Kidd-Gilchrist: 13 points, 13 rebounds/Teague: 12 points, 10 assists).
Now Kentucky must deal with another sharp shooting conference foe in the Commodores. Vanderbilt, which is hitting 39.3 percent from beyond the arc this season, ranks ninth nationally with 213 three pointers.
The 17-7 Commodores, who are 11-4 at home this season, rebounded from back-to-back road losses to Arkansas and Florida on Wednesday night with a 76-61 win over LSU in Nashville. Big man Festus Ezeli led the team with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting while guard John Jenkins and forward Jeffery Taylor combined for 39 points (connected on seven of their 12 attempts from beyond the arc).
The win over the Tigers improved Vanderbilt’s conference record to 6-3, leaving the team in fourth place behind Kentucky, Florida, and Mississippi State.
The Wildcats have won three of the last four in this series, but the Commodores did prevail the last time the two teams hooked up at Memorial Gym, beating Kentucky 81-77 in February of 2011. The series is split at five apiece in the last 10 meetings between these two schools.
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Kentucky vs Vanderbilt 2012 NCAAB Picks: Provided by Bovada.lv
Kentucky Wildcats -5 (-110), Over 137 (-110)
Vanderbilt Commodores +5 (-110), Under 137 (-110)
