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Kentucky's offense went absolutely nuclear in the first half against Vandy on Saturday in the dominating win, thanks to Collin Chandler's five threes, which really blew open their lead, before making it a 15-point game at halftime. The Wildcats finished with 46 first-half points on 54.8 percent shooting overall and 9-16 from three. But, it didn't stop there as Kentucky scored 45 the following half on a very efficient 65 percent clip.
It was a unique day, as this was the best performance we've seen from the Kentucky offense in well over a month, as it was efficient basketball at its finest. Not only did the Wildcats make shots at an efficient rate, they also took care of the ball. Kentucky finished with three turnovers in the first half, while they ended up forcing six turnovers and converting 10 points off of them. What does this impressive win mean? There are plenty of accomplishments from this one, so let's take a look.
First off, Kentucky's 58.8 percent shooting overall on the game, along with the 11-22 shooting from three-point range, is their best mark in those categories of the season against an SEC opponent. The Wildcats scored 91 points against the Commodores, their highest such as an unranked team against an AP Top 25 team in Rupp Arena since 1990. It is also their most points scored as an unranked team overall since 2000. This was also Kentucky's third game since 2004-05 at home against a conference opponent where they shot at least 65 percent from two, 50 percent from three and 80 percent from the free-throw line. Saturday was Kentucky's best field goal percentage against an SEC opponent at home since Alabama in 2024, where they shot 63 percent.
Then, there's the accomplishments by the players. Collin Chandler's 23 points means this Kentucky team has now had eight players score 20-plus points in a season. That is the most by a Kentucky team since 1991-92. Malachi Moreno also made some impressive personal history as a Wildcat, too. He joins Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the only two Wildcats since 2004-05 to have multiple SEC home games with at least 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. There was plenty of offense to go around, as Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen combined for 61 points in the win.
It really was one of the best offensive performances we have seen from Kentucky in a long time this season, certainly their best against a ranked opponent.
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University of Kentucky Basketball and Football beat writer.
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