Kentucky escaped Nashville with its seventh straight win and snapped a four-game losing streak at Memorial Gym.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On a night when the shots just weren’t falling for No. 2 Kentucky, John Wall still managed to deliver another tight win for the Wildcats.

Vanderbilt limited Kentucky to a season-worst [...]]]> Associated Press

Kentucky escaped Nashville with its seventh straight win and snapped a four-game losing streak at Memorial Gym.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On a night when the shots just weren’t falling for No. 2 Kentucky, John Wall still managed to deliver another tight win for the Wildcats.

Vanderbilt limited Kentucky to a season-worst 35.8 percent shooting, but a pair of free throws and a clutch block by Wall in the final 20 seconds gave the Wildcats a 58-56 win over the Commodores (No. 19 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) on Saturday night.

“He just fought his way,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said of Wall, who missed eight of his 11 shots and finished with 13 points. “That will to win, refuse to lose. You just do what you got to do.”

Kentucky (26-1, 11-1 SEC), which beat Vanderbilt 85-72 on Jan. 30, grabbed a two-game lead over the Commodores in the SEC East and dealt them their first home loss since Jan. 25, 2009.

It was Kentucky’s second close call in as many games after pulling out an 81-75 overtime win at Mississippi State on Tuesday.

Wall’s free throws with 20 seconds remaining gave the Wildcats a 57-53 lead, but John Jenkins answered with a 3-pointer to pull Vanderbilt (20-6, 9-3) within a point.

Kentucky’s Eric Bledsoe missed a pair of free throws, but Wall bailed him out by blocking another 3-point attempt by Jenkins on the other end and grabbing the ball.

“That shot was going in,” Jenkins said. “He bit, but I went up too fast. He made a good play.”

Wall made one of two free throws for a two-point lead with 2.5 seconds to play.

“Somebody steps up,” said Kentucky forward DeMarcus Cousins, who led the Wildcats with 19 points. “Maybe he doesn’t score 20-plus points, he still is going to make key plays down the stretch, which helps the team.”

Even still, the Commodores had one more chance.

A.J. Ogilvy caught a long in-bounds pass by Darshawn McClellan, but his runner in the lane bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

“I was really comfortable on that shot,” Ogilvy said. “I had a good look. I can make that shot eight of 10 [times]. Unfortunately, today was one of the two that I missed.”

With that, Kentucky breathed another big sigh of relief, four days after edging the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.

The teams traded the lead 11 times and tied 14 times, and Kentucky held a 27-25 lead at halftime.

The Wildcats relied on their power in the paint to overcome poor outside shooting. The Commodores never let them get too comfortable anywhere on the floor, limiting them to 3 for 16 from behind the arc.

“I love this: shooting 35 percent and 18 percent from the 3 and winning anyway,” Calipari said.

Patrick Patterson had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Kentucky.

Taylor scored 17 points for Vanderbilt, which was a woeful 2-for-20 from 3-point range.

Festus Ezeli and Steve Tchiengang both fouled out with more than 5 minutes remaining trying to disrupt Cousins and Patterson inside. Ogilvy picked up his fourth foul with 10:11 left.

“It was very physical, hard-fought, tough game,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. “There wasn’t any backing down going on.”

Vanderbilt, the SEC’s most prolific free-throw shooting team, used free throws to keep up with the Wildcats, and a pair by Jeffery Taylor with 6:08 to go gave the Commodores a 49-45 lead, their largest of the game.

The lead didn’t last long. Thanks to some free throws by Cousins, a layup by Bledsoe and a 3-pointer by Patterson, Kentucky scored the next eight points to grab a 53-49 lead with 2:57 left.

The Commodores made a few costly mistakes on defense that gave Kentucky some easy points. The Wildcats turned Vanderbilt’s 15 turnovers into 19 points.

It was Kentucky’s first win in Nashville and first sweep of the regular season series since 2005.

“You’ve got to grind it,” Calipari said. “We don’t force our will on the other team. We want to play different ways. When you get in that NCAA tournament, you don’t know if you are playing a team that is going to play fast, play slow. You’ve got to beat them anyway.”

(2) Kentucky (25-1, 10-1 SEC) at (19) Vanderbilt (20-5, 9-2 SEC), 6:00 PM ET, February 20, 2010 Memorial Gym, Nashville, TN

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s young stars have handled their introduction to the Southeastern Conference with near perfection.

It was on full display Tuesday night as the Wildcats withstood everything [...]]]> Associated Press

(2) Kentucky (25-1, 10-1 SEC) at (19) Vanderbilt (20-5, 9-2 SEC), 6:00 PM ET, February 20, 2010 Memorial Gym, Nashville, TN

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s young stars have handled their introduction to the Southeastern Conference with near perfection.

It was on full display Tuesday night as the Wildcats withstood everything thrown their way by a resilient Mississippi State team and then weathered debris thrown at the players by upset Bulldogs fans after No. 2 Kentucky’s overtime victory.

Now, the only thing standing between the Wildcats (25-1, 10-1) and the SEC crown this season might be No. 17 Vanderbilt.

A win against the Commodores (20-5, 9-2) on Saturday would give Kentucky a two-game lead in the conference standings and would cement their conference supremacy, assuming they win out in the final two weeks of the regular season.

For his part, Kentucky coach John Calipari is approaching the game with little tension, explaining that he isn’t contemplating what the results would mean for his team.

“The bottom line is this will be a very difficult game for us” Calipari said. “If we win, it will be a great victory. But it’s a game that’s not one-and-done. It’s not a tournament game. It’s not a big game because it’s just February.”

A loss to the Commodores would throw the title race wide open. By beating the South Carolina team Kentucky lost to in January, a team which ranks higher than the Georgia team Vanderbilt lost to in league play, the Commodores could win the conference if they tied the series against Kentucky.

Kentucky players aren’t focusing on any of that logic.

“If we win this game, it’ll definitely be an advantage for us,” forward Ramon Harris said. “But if we don’t then we’ll just turn around and prepare for the next one.”

Vanderbilt, on the other hand, is preparing for a serious battle.

“I’m excited we’re playing for first place (in the SEC),” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. “It will take one of our great performances to win that game. But, we’ve done it before.”

After facing a record crowd at Mississippi State, Calipari explained that Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium will be another challenging environment for his team to play in. The layout of the gym makes it especially hard for coaches to communicate with their team. With benches located at the baseline of the court instead of the sideline, Calipari said he will be unable to give his normal orders and will need freshman guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe to give their own commands to the team.

“It is really hard to talk to your team, because if they turn around and look at you they get the ball stolen,” Calipari said. “So what I’m telling Wall and (Bledsoe) is that they are going to have to run this team.”

Vanderbilt is undefeated at home this season. Calipari said he was preparing his team in practice for a combative crowd.

“We play in these arenas to record crowds, everywhere we go it’s sold out,” Calipari said. “But we know every game we play is an energy, high-charged game, and so we know nobody is going to stun us with their effort.”

Stallings, too, said he is preparing for his home fans to be a major factor.

“I have a feeling our crowd will be ready, and I think we’ll give them the kind of performance they are accustomed to seeing,” he said.

After beating Mississippi on Thursday night, the Commodores will have limited time to regroup.

“Everyone is looking forward toward it, even if we got a day turnaround,” said Vanderbilt center A.J. Ogilvy, who scored 27 points against the Rebels.

Ogilvy didn’t have as much success against the Wildcats in their first meeting, as he was limited for most of the night and notched just 12 points and four rebounds.

Calipari said he expects Ogilvy to make amends this time around.

“I imagine there’s a challenge there for him to do better,” Calipari said. “We know he is really good.”

The Wildcats have been notorious for jumping out to big leads and then letting the opposing team creep back as the game wears on. Calipari said that he wouldn’t be surprised if that same scenario happened against the Commodores.

“We are talented enough to beat every one, but we play in a way that everyone can beat us,” Calipari said “We’re breaking down defensively, we’re missing shots. We’re not able to lock down for 40 minutes. We make plays that keep everyone in games.”

“There’s no illusion we’ll walk in there and beat them by 20,” Calipari said.

Cousins finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds leading Kentucky to a 85-72 victory of Vanderbilt

LEXINGTON, Ky. — DeMarcus Cousins posted his 12th double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds as No. 1 Kentucky bounced back from an upset loss to South Carolina with a 85-72 win over No. 21 Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Darnell [...]]]> Associated Press

Cousins finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds leading Kentucky to a 85-72 victory of Vanderbilt

LEXINGTON, Ky. — DeMarcus Cousins posted his 12th double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds as No. 1 Kentucky bounced back from an upset loss to South Carolina with a 85-72 win over No. 21 Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Darnell Dodson added 16 points in a rare start for the Wildcats (20-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference), who played like the nation’s top-ranked team for long stretches in front of special guest LeBron James.

Kentucky built an early 19-point lead then made it hold up while the NBA superstar, a friend of coach John Calipari, watched from courtside.

Jermaine Beal led the Commodores (16-4, 5-1) with 19 points, but Vanderbilt couldn’t pull off its second road upset of the week in a physical, whistle-plagued game that featured 58 fouls and very little flow.

Calipari called Kentucky’s loss to the Gamecocks on Tuesday a much-needed reality check, saying his team had gotten a little too full of itself after the best start in over four decades.

A phone call from president Barack Obama hours before the game didn’t help, as the Wildcats were stunned in the second half.

Kentucky regained its focus against the Commodores, hardly bothered by the presence of James, who created a buzz when he made his entrance a few minutes in.

By then the Wildcats already had the lead thanks to Cousins. The freshman converted four three-point plays in the first eight minutes, destroying whatever defense Vanderbilt threw his way.

When the Commodores tried to double-team, Cousins would spin toward the baseline for an easy basket or throw the pass to an open teammate for a jumper — the latest facet in his quickly developing game.

And there were good looks aplenty for the Wildcats, who made 12 of 23 3-point attempts and dominated the boards, outrebounding Vanderbilt 41-22, leading to 20 second-chance points.

Kentucky’s dominance in the lane helped make up for a less than spectacular performance from freshman star John Wall.

The point guard finished with 13 points, nine assists and seven turnovers in 34 minutes. He shot just 4 of 12 from the field as the Commodores did a fantastic job of keeping Kentucky out of transition. The Wildcats failed to score a fast break basket for the first time in memory.

Not that it mattered. Kentucky needed less than 10 minutes to build a double-digit lead and this time made it hold up, a sign of progress for a team that Calipari has consistently chastised for relaxing too much when it gets comfortably ahead.

Vanderbilt, which won on the road at No. 14 Tennessee on Wednesday, fell to 7-15 all-time against the No. 1 team. Nearly half of those losses have come at Rupp Arena.

The Wildcats will likely fall from the top spot when the new poll comes out Monday, but avoided a precipitous drop thanks to a balanced attack behind Cousins.

Dodson knocked down four 3-pointers in just his second start of the season, Eric Bledsoe added 13 points and seven rebounds and Patrick Patterson had 12 points and four boards for the Wildcats.

Kentucky led 49-34 at the break, but the Commodores collected themselves to keep things mildly interesting.

Vanderbilt’s best chance to make a move came after Wall was called for an offensive foul with Kentucky leading 76-64 with about 5 minutes to go. The Commodores executed perfectly, but forward Jeffery Taylor missed a reverse dunk. Dodson came down and sank a 3-pointer to push Kentucky’s advantage back to 79-64 with 3:57 to go.

The shot seemed to finally put an end to the seemingly endless parade to the free-throw line, as the whistles finally abated and James showed his appreciation by standing up and applauding while he made his way to the exits. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Randall Cobb ran for two touchdowns, Derrick Locke rushed for a career-high 144 yards and

Kentucky wide receiver Randall Cobb, front, is congratulated by Chris Matthews, right, and Christian Johnson (78) after Cobb scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run against Vanderbilt in the third quarter of an NCAA college football [...]]]> Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Randall Cobb ran for two touchdowns, Derrick Locke rushed for a career-high 144 yards and

Kentucky wide receiver Randall Cobb, front, is congratulated by Chris Matthews, right, and Christian Johnson (78) after Cobb scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run against Vanderbilt in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

a touchdown, and Kentucky beat Vanderbilt 24-13 Saturday to become bowl eligible for a school record fourth straight year.

Kentucky (6-4, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) has won seven of the past nine in this series and can improve its bowl berth in the final two games of the regular season.

Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7) had its best scoring game this season against an SEC opponent. But the Commodores blew a 13-10 halftime lead and lost their seventh straight after being shut out in the second half. They managed a mere 31 yards offense in the second half.

The Wildcats struggled to pass even with Mike Hartline playing his first game since injuring his left knee Oct. 10 against South Carolina. Morgan Newton started, and both had passes intercepted. But Locke and Cobb helped Kentucky win its second straight and for the fourth time in five games.

This game featured the SEC‘s two worst defenses against the run, and Kentucky did a better job rushing with Cobb and Locke than Vanderbilt managed as a team. Cobb finished with 99 yards on 14 carries, while Locke ran 25 times as Kentucky outgained Vandy 399-209 in total offense — 308 of that coming on the ground.

Cobb put Kentucky up 7-0 after taking the snap in the Wildcats’ wildcobb formation. He ran right before tiptoeing along the right sideline for a 21-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Officials reviewed the play to make sure he stayed inbound, and he did.

He put Kentucky ahead to stay 17-13 by capping the opening drive of the third quarter by running in 3 yards for his second TD. Then Locke capped a 72-yard drive with a 14-yard TD in the fourth quarter to seal the victory, finishing with his third 100-yard rushing game this season.

Vanderbilt hadn’t scored more than 10 in any SEC game this season but led 13-10 at halftime thanks largely to a defense ranked 10th nationally against the pass. The Commodores turned two interceptions into 10 points in the second quarter but lost linebacker Patrick Benoist, their leading tackler, to a suspected concussion in the first half.

Eddie Foster picked off a pass by Hartline. That set up Ryan Fowler’s career-long 47-yard field goal to pull Vandy with in 7-6.

T.J. Greenstone tipped a Newton pass, and Myron Lewis grabbed it for his 10th career interception at the Kentucky 20. Three plays later, Mackenzi Adams found John Cole who pulled in a 21-yard pass for the first touchdown of the receiver’s career to give Vandy its first lead of the game with 2:25 left in the half.

The Commodores could have scored more except Adams overthrew a receiver, and Calvin Harrison intercepted the pass at the Kentucky 23 with 50 seconds left until halftime.