Saturday in CBB we will see the Vanderbilt Commodores travel to Lexington to take on the top ranked Kentucky Wildcats. The game is scheduled for a 12:00 pm tipoff and will be televised live on CBS. Currently Kentucky is favored by 11.5 points, with the total being set at 138.5 for the game.
Free Analysis: Vanderbilt enters the weekend in third place in the SEC standings and they off a 59-48 win against South Carolina on Wednesday. Vanderbilt pushed Kentucky to the limit two weeks ago in Nashville before the Wildcats scored the final eight points and emerged with a six-point win. This game could be determined by hot shooters, as both teams are loaded with quality scorers. The Commodores will need to shoot the ball better than they did against Kentucky in the first game. Vandy made only 36.5 percent from the floor and John Jenkins was limited to 15 points. They’ll certainly need a bounce-back game from Jeffery Taylor, who was held to a season-low four points in his last outing, against South Carolina. The Commodores also need more from center Festus Ezeli, who admitted he was over-hyped for the first Kentucky game but still finished with 13 points and six rebounds.Vanderbilt has three players scoring in double figures led by SEC-scoring leader John Jenkins at 20.1 ppg. Jeffery Taylor (17.3) and Festus Ezeli (10.1) are also scoring in double-figures. Lance Goulbourne leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 rpg., while Tinsley is the catalyst for the Commodores, with a team-best 123 assists and he has moved into second place on the school’s all-time assist list with 458. Overall the Commodores are 52nd in scoring (73.9 ppg) , while on defense they are 133rd in points allowed (65.5 ppg). Vanderbilt is 7-2 ATS on the road this year. The Wildcats continued their winning ways, pushing the nation's longest active winning streak to 19 games, with a 73-64 win over Mississippi State in Starkville, while also putting themselves in position to claim their 45th SEC Championship outright with their next victory. In UK's 13-point come-from-behind win against the Bulldogs, the Cats got a pair of double-doubles from freshmen Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (18p, 10r) and Anthony Davis (13p, 11r). After losing his way in midseason, Terrence Jones’ touch has returned; he’s scored in double figures in six of the last seven games. Coach John Calipari was raving about the sophomore’s effort following the win at Mississippi State. The Wildcats definitely have an improved bench this season. Freshman Kyle Wiltjer had 13 points off the bench against the Bulldogs and helped fill the void left when Anthony Davis was limited to 25 minutes because of foul trouble. Darius Miller has hit three treys in back-to-back games. The Wildcats have 250 blocked shots, 15th best on the NCAA's all-time list, but well behind the record of 315 set by Georgetown in 2003-04. The teams have split the last 10 meetings, but Vandy hasn’t won at Rupp Arena since 2007.
Free Pick: Kentucky is the best team in the nation, but they have been simply awesome at home this year. At Rupp arena the Cats are a stellar 17-0 and have outscored their opponents by 22.4 ppg on their home floor, while in the SEC they have gone 6-0 on their home floor and have outscored those opponents by 19.3 ppg. Vanderbilt is a solid 20-8 on the year, but they come in just 4-3 in their last 7 games and 2-2 in their last 4 on the road. In their last 2 games their offense has really struggled as they put up just 60 ppg on 40.5% shooting in the two games vs Georgia and South Carolina. That's not gonna get the job done here as Kentucky on this floor is allowing just 59.2 ppg on 36.5% shooting for the year. Vandy's defense looked good in their last 2 games, but South Carolina and Georgia are not offensive juggernauts. Vandy has allowed 66.8 ppg on the road this year, but they have given up 73 points or more in 3 of teir last 4 road games. T he Cats are rolling right now and they should have no problems with a Vanderbilt team hat has been mediocre at best of late.
Free Picks: Vanderbilt at Kentucky Bettinghttp://PregameVideos.com - Home loss revenge for Vanderbilt and Kentucky is 17-0 at home plus other factors college basketball bettors need to know about Vanderbilt at Kentucky (Saturday, February 26, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Bryan Leonard and analysis from host Vegas Runner.