Kentucky dominates Vandy behind Collin Chandler's nuclear performance – Sports Illustrated

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The Kentucky Wildcats were back in Rupp Arena on Saturday, looking for revenge against No. 25 Vandy. In the first matchup, things did not go well at all, as Vanderbilt embarrassed Kentucky on their way to a big 25-point win. Following a win over South Carolina where Kentucky needed a late surge, a win over Vandy is what they needed to give themselves a big late-season boost and they got it, in very convincing fashion 91-77.
This one played out similar to the debacle in Nashville, but instead, Kentucky flipped the script on Vandy. Collin Chandler got the party started for the Wildcats early, pouring in four three-pointers in the first six minutes, helping Kentucky get out to a double-digit lead. Then, the lead stretched to as much as 20 in the half, as a 16-4 run over the span of seven minutes helped them accomplish that. But it wasn't only Chandler's five threes in the first half that helped Kentucky get a big lead, it was their defense. They held Vandy to 43 percent shooting overall and just 2-11 from three, while also turning five of their turnovers into 10 points, while they themselves had just three miscues. The Wildcats went on to take a 15-point lead into halftime.
In the second half, Kentucky maintained their lead throughout after playing some of the best offense we have seen from them in over a month to get things started on Saturday. Kentucky started the half out slow as Vandy cut the lead to 12 with the help of some sloppy play, but a 7-0 run brought it back well into double-digits. From then on, Kentucky made timely buckets to maintain their lead. BBN owes some major thanks to Collin Chandler, who got things started and continued making some important threes in the second half as he helped the offense keep flowing at a high level. He, Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen made some timely plays in the second half. Chandler's shooting combined with Oweh having 17 of his 23 points in the final half, along with Aberdeen's all-around playmaking, were huge in order to keep that lead. Those three combined for 61 points in the win.
Kentucky finished shooting 59 percent overall as well as 11-22 from three, six of which from Chandler, and 20-25 from the free-throw line, with 17 of those makes coming in the final half. Vandy shot 50 percent, but just 5-25 from three. The Wildcats had 17 points off of turnovers as well. This one was one Kentucky really needed, especially considering where they are in the standings. The Wildcats are involved in a four-way tie in the SEC, but this win was one that likely now has them avoiding the dreaded 9 seed, which would have them playing on Wednesday of the SEC Tournament, a dangerous spot to be in.
Next up, Kentucky will hit the road again for another big SEC matchup with Texas A&M. It's crunch time in the regular season, which means every big win matters even more, especially for Kentucky.
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University of Kentucky Basketball and Football beat writer.
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