Kentucky has been showing their age lately. The young squad is having issues playing a full game of basketball, especially on the road. The Wildcats have remained ranked despite losing 0-2 on the road this season. It will be tough to break the skid as they face Vanderbilt in an SEC matchup.
Kentucky struggled in their conference opener against Mississippi after not playing since Dec. 28 against Louisville. The team fell behind quickly 12-2 while shooting just 37.1 percent in the first half. They turned things around going 65.4 percent from the floor during a 27-4 run to get the win. Kentucky has been streaky. That was the fifth time this season the No. 14 team was losing at halftime.
Head coach John Calipari is hopeful his team can remain focused.Dating back to last season, Kentucky has lost six-straight games on the road.They dropped their final four SEC road games last season, only averaging 17.5 points. The also lost in the first round of the NIT. In their first road game this season, they shot just 40.0 percent against North Carolina.
Vanderbilt has had decent success against Kentucky.The Commodores knocked Kentucky off in the SEC tournament after losing to them in the regular season. They also beat them in the 2012 SEC finale. Vanderbilt will be challenged this time around, currently without Eric Mclellan. The point guard was averaging 14.3 points before getting dismissed for violating academic policy.
Now with just seven scholarship players on the roster, forward Rod Odom is picking up the slack. The forward is averaging 13.8 points and a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game. In the team's first game without the point guard, Odom put up 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win against Alabama.
Vanderbilt will push Kentucky as much as possible, but the Wildcats look poised to avenge their tournament loss. The Commodores have dropped four straight against the ranked opponents since 2012.
