Takeaways From Vanderbilt Basketball's 91-77 Loss To Kentucky Basketball – Sports Illustrated

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LEXINGTON, KY—Well. Vanderbilt basketball has some issues if Saturday is any indication.
Vanderbilt fell 91-77 to Kentucky in a game that it trailed by as much as 22 in and led for just 18 seconds. The Commodores have now lost three of four.
Here's a few takeaways from its loss.
That’s three losses in four games, which makes some concerns arise
That’s not to mention that Vanderbilt didn’t play all that well in its win over Georgia despite the result, either. 
It’s been so long since Vanderbilt put together a complete effort that the idea of waiting for this group to turn that proverbial corner is a fool's errand at this point. That would’ve sounded absurd as it ran off two excellent back-to-back performances against Mississippi State and Kentucky a few weeks ago, but that possibility has to be at least considered at this point. 
Vanderbilt finished the season with four-consecutive losses last season and lost something as it approached the most important games of the season. It’s still got time to fix this, but its indicators aren’t all that encouraging these days despite its full body of work.
Mark Byington pushes back on that
Byington was asked about losing 3-of-4, and he appears to be believe that his team is closer to getting back to its level than the recent record would indicate. 
“I don't think it's looking at a big thing,” Byington said. “I think it's zoom [in] a little bit. Today we didn’t play well, and that's the one we got to fix.”
Tyler Nickel is in a real slump, and Vanderbilt needs it to end
Since going for 25 points against Texas A&M a few weeks ago, Tyler Nickel doesn’t look like Tyler Nickel. 
The physical traits are the same, as is the swagger. Where is the version of Nickel that everyone who’s come to know him knows, though? 
Nickel went for 13 points on Saturday while shooting 5-for-15 from the field, 3-for-12 from 3-point range and just three rebounds. He missed a bunny of a close jumper. He missed open shots from 3-point range. He did the things that he’s done recently more than ever in his Vanderbilt career. 
Considering the last two weeks, that wasn’t all that surprising for the Vanderbilt wing. Since the Texas A&M game, Nickel is averaging 9.3 points per game, shooting 11-for-44 from the field, 8-for-35 (5-for-23) from 3-point range and just 2.8 rebounds a night.
Vanderbilt really needed more from its go-to guys 
Nickel, Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, senior guard Duke Miles and Vanderbilt forward Devin McGlockton are going to determine how far this thing goes. 
Tanner–as Mark Pope says–has a lot of pressure on him and delivered with a 19-point performance in which he shot 9-for-12 from the field. Vanderbilt appears to need more from everyone else, though. 
Nickel went for double figures but was 5-for-15 on the day. Miles had 11 points on nine shots–although his seven assists helped. McGlockton was scoreless, fouled out and took just two shots. 
Vanderbilt got enough from Jalen Washington and AK Okereke, but those guys can’t be the go-to guys. It needs more from its core group. 
A nightmare of a first half
Kentucky scored 55 points at Memorial Gymnasium a few weeks ago. It was up to 46 at the half today against Vanderbilt.
Perhaps that doesn’t tell the complete story, but it may be the simplest indicator of how quickly the feel shifted in this series. Kentucky did it all right; it used its size to its advantage, it made open shots, it worked the possession just about every time it was in the halfcourt–although it wasn’t forced to play that way all that much. 
That was Kentucky’s best first half of the season, and it was among Vanderbilt’s worst. Vanderbilt often looked like it didn’t have much purpose offensively, couldn’t keep Kentucky out of transition and often struggled in pick-and-roll coverage. Not good.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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