- Kentucky is 20-1, 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference while Vanderbilt is 16-4, 5-1 in league action. This ends a 10-game win streak by the Commodores.
- Kentucky leads the series, 132-43, including 74-14 in Lexington.
- Kentucky has an all-time record of 154-24 while being ranked No. 1 in the nation in The Associated Press poll.
- UK is 11-4 vs. Vanderbilt when the Wildcats have been at No. 1.
- UK is 62-2 in games played at home.
- John Calipari‘s teams have a 42-6 record while ranked No. 1.
- Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at home vs. Ole Miss. The game will be televised by ESPN.
First-Half Notes
- Kentucky used the starting lineup of John Wall, Darnell Dodson, Darius Miller, Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins for the first time this season.
- It was Dodson’s first start since the season opener. He quickly extended UK’s streak of 732 consecutive games with a three-pointer with a triple at the 18:19 mark.
- Eric Bledsoe was UK’s first substitute. Bledsoe had started every game except the Hartford contest, which he missed because of injury.
- DeMarcus Cousins got off to a quick start with 13 points in the first nine minutes. Included were four baskets in which Cousins got fouled, three of which he turned into three-point plays. It is the third straight game, and the sixth this season, in which Cousins has reached double-figure scoring in the first half.
- Kentucky took the lead at 4-3 and extended it to as many as 19 points at 46-27.
- With foul trouble sidelining Cousins, Patterson, Miller, Wall and Orton, UK hung on to a 15-point lead at halftime, 49-34.
Second-Half Notes
- Kentucky extended the lead to 69-50, tying its largest of the game, on a DeAndre Liggins three-pointer at the 12:09 mark.
- Vanderbilt got a rally going at the 9:40 mark and scored 12 points in the next two minutes to pull within 73-62.
- Darnell Dodson hit three-pointers at 6:32 and 4:00 to keep the visitors at bay and the Commodores got no closer than 11 points in the second half.
Team Notes
- Kentucky made 12 three-point baskets, most this season against an SEC opponent. The Wildcats also shot 52.2 percent from long range, also the team’s best this season vs. an SEC foe.
- The Wildcats also did a good job getting to the free-throw line and made 25 of 39, season highs in both categories.
- Kentucky dominated the rebounding, 41-22, and second-chance points, 20-2.
Individual Notes
- DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
- It’s his 12 th double-double of the season, breaking the UK freshman record of 11 set by Chris Mills in 1988-89.
- It’s his fourth-consecutive double-double, the second time this season he has achieved that accomplishment.
- Patrick Patterson had 12 points, breaking a two-game string below double figures.
- Patterson made a career-high three three-pointers.
- John Wall had 13 points and a game-high nine assists.
- Wall has 135 assists, breaking the UK freshman season record of 126 by Dirk Minniefield in 1979-80.
- Darnell Dodson had 16 points and seven rebounds, his most vs. an SEC opponent this season.
- DeAndre Liggins had nine points and four rebounds, season highs in both categories.
- Eric Bledsoe had 13 points and tied his career high with seven rebounds.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.
