Amid all their injuries, the Kentucky Wildcats have won five straight games. They have a grit to them, an “it” factor, and an athleticism that are all contributing to their winning streak. The best part is they haven’t peaked yet or played their best basketball.
The Wildcats’ best basketball will be required this week with a two-game road trip that has major stakes in the SEC regular-season title race. Kentucky travels to face Vanderbilt Tuesday night and Arkansas Saturday night.
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First up is Vanderbilt Tuesday night in Nashville. The Commodores are a really good offensive team, a key reason for their 16-0 start. Although they have lost three of their last four, the Commodores are still a team to be taken seriously. They can shoot the lights out, and they’re also opportunistic defensively.
Winning this game would finally give the Wildcats that one win on their résumé that would portray them as serious contenders. That may not mean Final Four and national championship contenders, but Sweet 16 and Elite Eight contenders would be in play with a win on Tuesday.
Let’s take a look at a talented Vanderbilt team, keys to the game, and score prediction for Tuesday night.
Players to watch on Vanderbilt
1. No. 3: Tyler Tanner — 6-0, 175 lbs. So. BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy)
Stats: 17.4 pts, 3.6 rebs, 105 ast.-37 TO, 49.8 FG%, 40.2 3-PT FG%, 87.8 FT%, 30.7 mpg
Tanner is off to a great start in his college career, coming off a freshman season where he set the Commodores’ freshman record with 55 steals. He was the only Power Four conference player with 60+ assists and 15 or fewer turnovers, and he led all Power Four conferences with a 4.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. One of four players with 50+ assists and steals, Tanner was the only player in the country to record over 50 assists, 50 steals, and less than 15 turnovers, and the first player since at least 1996-97 with 50 assists, 50 steals, and less than 15 turnovers.
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This season, Tanner has become a star and one of the SEC’s best players. Tanner has scored in double figures every game this season, including seven games with 20+ points. He had 29 points in Vanderbilt’s win over Alabama, one of four games with 20+ points in SEC play. In addition, Tanner had 14 assists in Vanderbilt’s SEC opener in a win at South Carolina, one of 12 games with five+ assists. From beyond the arc, Tanner has five games with three or more three-pointers. Durability is also a big part of Tanner’s game, as he’s played 30+ minutes in 10 of his last 12 games.
A two-time Gatorade Tennessee Boys Basketball Player of the Year and 2024 TSSAA Division II-AA Mr. Basketball, Tanner comes from an athletic family. Tanner’s dad, D’Wayne, owns the Southwest Conference record with 291 career steals and is Rice’s career and single-season (95) steals record holder. His sister, Amber, ran track at Georgia, where she was part of the 2019 NCAA Indoor 1600m Relay national championship squad, the 2020 SEC Indoor Champion in the 800m run, 2021 SEC Outdoor Champion in the 800m, a three-time All-American, and owns the school records in both the indoor and outdoor 800m events.
2. No. 2: Duke Miles — 6-2, 188 lbs. Gr. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Oklahoma Transfer)
Stats: 16.6 pts, 3 rebs/gm., 50 stl, 45.1 FG%, 34.1 3-PT FG%, 88.7 FT%, 29 mpg
Miles is in his sixth season of college basketball, and Vanderbilt is his fourth team. At Oklahoma last season, Miles averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals in 24.7 minutes per game, ranking in the top three in three of those categories.
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This season, Miles has seven games with 20+ points. Leading the Commodores with 50 steals, he has seven games with at least three. At Mississippi State on Saturday, Miles had seven steals. He has five games with at least five steals.
3. No. 5: Tyler Nickel — 6-7, 222 lbs. Sr. HARRISONBURG, Va. (Virginia Tech Transfer)
Stats: 14.7 pts, 3.3 rebs, 51.5 FG%, 46.3 3-PT FG%, 82.1 FT%, 29.6 mpg
Vanderbilt’s best shooter, Nickel, led Vanderbilt last year, shooting 40.5% from three with 81 made triples on the season and led the SEC in conference play. Nickel led the SEC in conference play by shooting 45.2% from beyond the arc (47-of-104).
This season, Nickel has eight games with at least four three-pointers. Speaking of eight, he’s made eight threes in a game twice this season.
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In high school, Nickel is the Virginia High School League’s all-time leading scorer with 2,909 points in 102 games. He was the 2022 Virginia Player of the Year, four-time region and district player of the year, and four-time first-team all-state, all-region, and all-district.
4. No. 99: Devin McGlockton — 6-8, 230 lbs. Sr. CUMMING, Ga. (Boston College Transfer)
Stats: 10.2 pts, 6.7 rebs, 56.7 FG%, 24.5 3-PT FG%, 71.4 FT%, 24.1 mpg
McGlockton has two double-doubles this season, including one in Vanderbilt’s win against Alabama.
Last season, McGlockton led the Commodores in blocks with 36. He was a First-Team All-State selection at tight end for South Forsyth High School.
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5. No. 13: Jalen Washington — 6-10, 245 lbs. Sr. GARY, Ind. (North Carolina Transfer)
Stats: 9.6 pts, 5.4 rebs, 28 blk, 60.4 FG%, 26.1 3-PT FG%, 72.5 FT%, 20 mpg
Washington comes to Vanderbilt after three seasons at North Carolina. He was the Tar Heels’ Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, and the Tar Heels went 5-0 when he scored in double figures.
This season, Washington has nine games with double-digit points and 14 games with double-digit rebounds.
6. No. 10: AK Okereke — 6-7, 245 lbs. Gr. CLOVIS, Calif. (Cornell Transfer)
Stats: 8.3 pts, 3.4 rebs, 50.8 FG%, 33.3 3-PT FG%, 81.8 FT%, 25.3 mpg
Okereke led the Ivy League and ranked 18th in the country with a 59.5 field goal percentage, which increased to 62.5 in conference play. He ranked in the top 10 in the Ivy League during conference play in several statistical categories. At the Ivy League Tournament, Okereke was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 3.0 steals, and 2.5 blocks while shooting 67 percent from the floor and making all 10 free-throw attempts. Scored 25 points with nine rebounds, four assists, four steals, and four blocks in the semifinal victory over Dartmouth and followed with 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block in the championship game vs. Yale
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This season, Okereke has eight games with double-digit points and has played 20+ minutes in every game but two.
Head Coach: Mark Byington (2nd Season, 37-16; 13th Season Overall, 250-159) — 49 years old
The recipient of the Skip Prosser Award in 2025, given to the head coach who exhibits strong moral character, Byington led Vanderbilt to the NCAA Tournament in his first season in Nashville. The Commodores also won four games over top-15 ranked opponents, the most in a single season since 1987-88, and were ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in 10 years.
That came one season after Byington led James Madison to an upset win over Wisconsin in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2024. It was the culmination of a season that opened with an upset win at No. 4 Michigan State, vaulting the Dukes into the Top 25 for eight different weeks throughout the course of the season. James Madison won the 2021 CAA regular-season title, with Byington winning CAA Coach of the Year.
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Prior to James Madison, Byington led Georgia Southern for seven seasons. He was also an interim head coach at College of Charleston in 2012, going 7-4. Byington has also been an assistant at the College of Charleston twice and at Virginia.
A three-year starter at UNC Wilmington, Byington scored 1,088 points at the collegiate level and was named both second-team All-CAA and to the league’s All-Defensive Team as a senior.
Keys to the Game
1. Three-point shooting, and three-point defense
Vanderbilt is a really good three-point shooting team, and the Commodores are also good at defending the three-point line. The Commodores are shooting 36.3 percent from three-point range, while their opponents are shooting just 28.9 percent from beyond the arc. Kentucky is going to have to knock down some shots and defend the three-point line to have a shot to win this game.
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2. Getting off to a good start and setting the tone
Knocking down some three-pointers early would help set the tone. Guarding the three-point line and getting the Commodores rattled early will also help set the tone.
3. Limiting the runs… and turnovers
Just like against Tennessee, where Kentucky knocked down enough shots to stay in the game in the first half, doing that Tuesday will help limit Vanderbilt’s runs.
The Commodores are elite at taking the ball away, averaging 9.2 steals per game. Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles have 47 and 50 steals, respectively. Taking care of the ball is paramount on Tuesday.
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4. Creating opportunities to get out in transition
Speeding up the Commodores will send a message. The Wildcats are at their best offensively when they’re in transition. They will need a great performance in that area on Tuesday.
Score Prediction: Commodores 87, Wildcats 81
Kentucky has improved enough offensively over the last two weeks to score with the Commodores. Playing on the road in the middle of the week is always tough, and I think that gives Vanderbilt an advantage Tuesday night. The Commodores may take this game, but Kentucky will show that they are not far at all from the top quarter of the SEC.
