Vanderbilt forward Devin McGlockton (99) rebounds the ball over Kentucky center Malachi Moreno (24) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Sports Editor
Vanderbilt forward Devin McGlockton (99) rebounds the ball over Kentucky center Malachi Moreno (24) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (KT) — Kentucky coach Mark Pope hopes a rematch with No. 25 Vanderbilt produces a better result than the first encounter between the two Southeastern Conference foes last month in Nashville.
The Commodores (22-8, 9-6 Southeastern Conference) led from start to finish and rolled to an 80-55 win over the Wildcats on Jan. 27.
“It’s not fun to watch the film,” Pope said. “Vandy is a terrific team. Their point guard is electric. Duke Miles is back and he was really good (Wednesday night). They play with a gritty physicality that’s really impressive. I think their front line is really special. They are undersized, but they’re really physical.”
Following the disappointing loss at Memorial Gym, Kentucky won three straight, defeating Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Despite a three-game slide prior to Tuesday’s 72-63 win at South Carolina, Pope said the Wildcats are a different team than the one that lost by 25 a month ago in Music City.
“I think our focus has grown,” Pope said. “I think we changed a lot of the ways we’re approaching practice. I think our ability to channel emotions is better. I think our understanding of what it takes to compete in this league every single night is better.”
Kentucky has improved its rebounding during the past three games and collected a season-high 18 offensive boards in the win over the Gamecocks. Malachi Moreno led the way with 11 rebounds for the Wildcats and is averaging a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game.
“He’s just steady,” Pope said. “It’s not perfect, like there are mistakes, but he’s a steady-growth guy, which you just don’t see freshmen bigs that walk around with the steadiness and performance that he has. It’s really, it’s really remarkable.
“He just kind of continues to get better and better and better every single day, just a little bit better. … He’s one of the top centers in our league and he’s a freshman that just is. It’s pretty spectacular.”
In terms of roster size, Pope said there are some similarities between South Carolina and Vandy.
“Vanderbilt is an elite, elite level team and South Carolina is trying to find their way a little bit right now,” Pope said. “South Carolina has an electric scoring, lethal point guard and Mechee Johnson and there are some similarities there. They have some girth and some undersized physicality.
“When I say undersized, I just mean not traditionally, like tall, just straight up tall physicality on their front lines. Those things are similar, but in a lot of ways, different teams.”
Gametracker: Vandy at Kentucky, 2 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network
Sports Editor
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