Post Game Notes From Kentucky's 71-62 Win Over Vanderbilt

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES 
VANDERBILT at KENTUCKY

RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON
JAN. 29, 2020 
ATTENDANCE: 20,311

Final Score: No. 13/13 Kentucky 71, Vanderbilt 62

Team Records and Series Notes  

• Kentucky is 16-4 overall, winner of eight of its last nine games. UK is 6-1 in the Southeastern Conference, the sixth time in 11 seasons that UK has started 6-1 in league play under Coach John Calipari. 
• Vanderbilt is 8-12 overall, 0-7 in the SEC. 

• UK leads the series 148-47 and has won seven in a row vs. the Commodores.
• Next up: Kentucky plays Saturday at No. 17/16 Auburn. Game time is 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT in Auburn) and it will be televised on ESPN. 

Player Notes    

• Nick Richards had 15 points and 11 rebounds – all except one rebound coming in the second half – his ninth double-double in 20 games.
• He had one double-double in 74 games entering the season. 
• He scored in double figures for the ninth straight game and is averaging 17.3 points and 9.9 rebounds over the last nine games, both game highs. 
• UK is 15-1 this season when he scores in double figures and 9-0 when he grabs double-digit rebounds.
• The Wildcats were plus-16 in Richards’ 22 minutes on the floor. 
• Tyrese Maxey led the Wildcats in scoring with 17 points, his 13th double-figure scoring game of the season. 
• Ashton Hagans had 12 points with efficient shooting. He was 4 of 6 from the field and 4 of 5 at the foul line. He drew nine fouls in the game.
• He had six assists to extend his five-or-more-assists streak to 17 straight games, the best streak since Tyler Ulis did it 24 straight games in 2015-16.
• Immanuel Quickley tallied 11 points, his ninth straight game in double figures.  
• He’s averaging 16.9 points over the last nine games.
• EJ Montgomery had an efficient evening with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting. 
• He had two crucial offensive rebound baskets during the second-half rally. 

Coach John Calipari  

• Calipari is now 321-75 at UK.    
• He has a 766-215 all-time on-court record. 
• UK is 259-43 against Associated Press unranked foes under Calipari.
• UK is 142-39 under Calipari in SEC regular-season games.
• Calipari is now 18-4 all-time vs. Vanderbilt and notched his first career win vs. Jerry Stackhouse.

Team Notes  

• This marked UK’s first double-digit comeback win since Feb. 26, 2019, at home vs. Arkansas.  
• UK won the rebounding 37-29, leading to an 11-0 advantage in second-chance points.
• Kentucky is 14-0 this season when outrebounding the opponent.
• The Wildcats limited Vanderbilt to 62 points and 38.9% from the field.
• UK is 182-7 (.963) under Calipari when keeping the opponent to 63 points or less.
• UK is 197-18 (.916) under Calipari when keeping the opponent at 40% or less. 
• UK shot 46.4% from the field and is now 15-1 this season when outshooting the opponent. 
• Entering the game at 77.1% at the foul line, the Wildcats had another solid performance at 84.2% (16 of 19).
• Kentucky led by 11 points late in the game. UK is now 276-7 under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any time in the contest.
• Kentucky has won 11 in a row at home and is 12-1 on the season at Rupp Arena.

In the First Half  

• The starting lineup consisted of Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley, EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards for the sixth time this season. The Wildcats are 5-1 with the lineup. 
• Maxey made a rim-bouncing 3-pointer on the first possession.

• Richards picked up two quick fouls and was replaced by UK’s first sub, Nate Sestina, at the 16:34 mark. 
• VU’s Scotty Pippen Jr. broke a 22-22 tie with a 3-pointer with 5:43 remaining. 
• Vanderbilt went on to lead at halftime, 35-28, UK’s largest halftime deficit of the season. 
• UK is now 2-3 this season when trailing at halftime.

 In the Second Half  

• Kentucky began the second half with the opening lineup.
• Vanderbilt stretched the lead to 40-30 at the 18:20 mark of the second half, only the second opponent this season UK has trailed by double digits. UK was behind by as many as 17 vs. Utah.
• Kentucky gradually edged back in the game, retaking the lead 51-50 with 9:27 to go on a second-chance basket by Montgomery. 
• Free throws by Quickley at 8:33 put UK ahead again at 53-52 and the Wildcats led the rest of the way. 
• Ahead 60-58, UK closed the game on an 11-4 run.
• UK held Vanderbilt without a basket for the final 5:39 of the game. 
• Richards recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds after halftime.  

Anthony Davis Voted A Starter In This Years NBA-ALL Star Game

Former Kentucky great Anthony Davis will make his seventh consecutive appearance at the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16 in his hometown of Chicago. Davis, who led UK to the national championship in 2012, was one of 10 starters announced on TNT on Thursday night. 

His seventh appearance is the most of any Wildcat. 

For the third straight year, teams for the All-Star Game will be chosen by two captains from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves. Votes were tallied from a pool of fans (50%), players (25%) and media (25%). As the All-Star starters who led their respective conferences in fan votes during NBA All-Star voting, LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) will serve as this year's captains.   

The complete team rosters will be unveiled on Jan 30 on TNT.  

Davis is in his eighth season in the NBA and first for the Los Angeles Lakers. He and the Lakers are off to a terrific start to the season as the Lakers are currently in first place in the West with a 35-9 overall record. Davis is among the league leaders in a number of the major statistical categories. 

The 6-foot-11 forward ranks third in blocks (2.5 blocks per game), eighth in scoring (26.6), 16th in steals (1.5) and total double-doubles (17) and 20th in rebounding (9.1). His player efficiency rating, a strong indicator of a player’s overall contributions and value, is at 28.43, which ranks fourth in the league. 

Already a two-time NBA Western Conference Player of the Week in 2019-20, Davis is among the midseason frontrunners for the league’s most valuable player award. He’s scored 40 or more points four times this season, including 50 on Dec. 8 vs. Minnesota. 

The game will mark Davis’ fourth as a starter. He was also voted in as a starter for the 2015, 2017 and 2018 games. In 2017, he won MVP honors on what was then his home court in New Orleans. Davis scored an All-Star Game record 52 points in addition to contributing 10 rebounds. He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s previous scoring record of 42 points set in 1962.  

Named the 2012 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading Kentucky to the 2012 national championship, Davis has already put together a long list of accolades in the NBA during his short career. Among his most noteworthy achievements, he’s a three-time All-NBA First Team selection (2015, 2017 and 2018) and made the NBA All-Rookie Team in 2013. He was considered the consensus national player of the year in 2012 before being drafted No. 1 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans (formerly the New Orleans Hornets) in 2012. 

  

Participants for the NBA Rising Stars Game, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest and the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest have not been named yet. Those announcements are expected to be made soon. 

Post Game Notes From Kentucky's 76-74 Win Over Texas Tech

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES 
KENTUCKY AT TEXAS TECH

UNITED SUPERMARKETS ARENA | LUBBOCK, TEXAS
JAN. 25, 2020  
ATTENDANCE: 14,763

Final Score: No. 15/14 Kentucky 76, No. 18 Texas Tech 74

Team Records and Series Notes 

• Kentucky is 15-4 overall and winner of seven of its last eight games, including 3-1 in true road games. 
• UK finished the regular season 10-3 against nonconference opponents, including 4-2 vs. Power 5 conference schools.
• Texas Tech is 12-7 and tonight’s game ended a 54-game home nonconference winning streak.
• Texas Tech had not lost at home to a nonconference opponent since losing to LSU on December 18, 2013.

• UK leads the series 5-0, including 2-0 in Lubbock. This was the first meeting since December 1994 and only the second meeting between the two schools in Lubbock.
• UK is 4-3 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge and has won the last three in the event. 
• Next up: Kentucky returns to Southeastern Conference action Wednesday at home vs. Vanderbilt. Game time is 6:30 p.m. and the game will be telecast on the SEC Network.

Player Notes   

• Playing a career-high 39 minutes, Nick Richards collected 25 points and 14 rebounds, his eighth double-double in 19 games. He had one double-double in 74 games prior to this season.
• He shot the ball efficiently – 7 of 10 from the field, 11 of 14 free throws, including 5 of 5 in the overtime.
• 11 of 14 free throws are career highs for both categories.  
• He scored in double figures for the eighth straight game and is averaging 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds over the last eight games.
• UK is 11-0 this season when he has eight or more rebounds, 4-0 when he gets at least 20 points.
• Playing a career-high 42 minutes, Immanuel Quickley had 21 points and six rebounds, highlighted by 4 of 8 on 3-point shots.

o   He’s averaging 17.6 points over the last eight games, including 22 of 45 on 3-point shots.

• Playing a career-high-tying 43 minutes, Ashton Hagans had six points, three rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
• He extended his five-or-more-assists streak to 16 straight games, the best streak since Tyler Ulis did it 24 straight games in 2015-16.

Coach John Calipari 

• Coaches and support staffs from both teams wore Mike Slive Foundation lapel pins, bringing awareness to the fight against prostate cancer and honoring the late Southeastern Conference commissioner.
• Calipari is now 320-75 at UK.    
• He has a 765-215 all-time on-court record. 
• UK is 62-32 vs. Associated Press Top 25 competition under Calipari, including 3-1 this season.
• UK is 54-28 under Calipari when both teams are ranked. 
• This was Calipari’s first game against Texas Tech.

Team Notes 

• Despite the closeness of the game, UK never trailed in the second half or overtime.
• UK shot 43.6% from the field and is now 14-1 this season when outshooting the opponent.
• Three-point shooting was a key difference-maker. UK made 7 of 15 from long range (46.7%) while Tech made 3 of 19 (15.8%).
• Entering the game at 76.7% at the foul line, the Wildcats had another solid performance at 84% (21 of 25).
• UK won the rebounding 38-32.
• UK is 13-1 this season when outrebounding the opponent.
• The Wildcats overcame a season-high 20 turnovers and Tech won points off turnovers 25-9.
• Kentucky led by 10 points in the second half. UK is now 275-7 under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any time in the contest.
• Kentucky is now 61-49 all-time in overtime games, including 2-0 this season.
• On Dec. 28 this season, UK outlasted Louisville 78-70 in Rupp Arena.        
• UK’s last OT win in a true road game was 70-64 in two OTs at Texas A&M, Feb. 2, 2013.

In the First Half 

• The starting lineup consisted of Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley, EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards for the fifth time this season. The Wildcats are 4-1 with the lineup.
• Keion Brooks Jr. was UK’s first sub at the 15:47 mark. 

• Quickley began the scoring with a 3-pointer on the game’s first possession.
• The teams went back-and-forth all half, with eight lead changes and neither squad leading by more than five points.
• UK scored five points in the final five seconds and went to halftime ahead 36-34.
• Trailing 34-31, Maxey hit a jumper with five seconds left, and after a Texas Tech long-pass turnover, Quickley hit a heave from the midcourt line at the buzzer.
• Despite the closeness of the game, Kentucky never trailed again.
• UK is 14-1 this season when leading at halftime.

 In the Second Half 

• Kentucky began the second half with the opening lineup.
• After Tech tied it with a layup on the first possession, Kentucky went on a 12-2 run, giving the Wildcats’ the first double-digit lead for either team, 48-38.
• A baseline jumper by Richards with 6:15 remaining put UK ahead 61-53, but the Red Raiders rallied with a 10-2 run to tie it at 63 with 2:40 left.
• From that point, each team made a foul shot and the game went to overtime tied at 64.  UK went the final 6:14 of regulation without a basket.

In the Overtime   

• Richards made two foul shots and then a traditional three-point play with 3:51 left to give UK a 69-64 lead. His basket ended a drought of 7:22 without a Wildcat basket.
• A 3-pointer by Nate Sestina with 3:19 left gave UK a 72-66 lead.  It was the first time in more than 10 minutes that anyone other than Richards had scored for UK. It also proved to be UK’s final basket of the game.
• Tech rallied to tie at 72, then Quickley made two foul shots with 47.9 seconds to play.
• Uche Dibiamaka of Tech got a basket to tie with 30 seconds left and was fouled, missed the free throw, but Tech retrieved the miss.
• On the ensuing possession, Montgomery forced a missed shot and Richards was fouled on the rebound with 10 seconds left. Richards made both free throws to make it 76-74.
• On the next possession, Hagans slapped the ball away from a Red Raider driver. The ball went out of bounds and was awarded to UK with 0:00.4 on the clock.

Hagans Added To Naismith Defensive Player of The Year Award List

The reigning Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year is being recognized for his stout defense once again. Kentucky men’s basketball’s Ashton Hagans was one of 15 players to appear on the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s midseason watch list for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award on Wednesday. He is the only player from the SEC listed.

Players not on the midseason list are still eligible to be selected as award semifinalists, which will be announced in February.

The 6-foot-3 guard out of Cartersville, Georgia, is once again UK’s best on-ball defender with a team-high 39 steals, oftentimes drawing the assignment on the opposing team’s best offensive player. He’s averaging 2.2 swipes per game, which ranks among the top 30 in the country. In just 55 career games, Hagans has already amassed 100 career steals, which ranks among the top 35 in program history.

With Hagans spearheading the defensive effort, UK is limiting teams to 38.7% from the floor and 29.2% from long range, which both rank among the top 35 in the country.

“He’s the most indispensable player on this team,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas recently said in a telecast of the UK-Alabama game. “Without Ashton Hagans, a lot of fight goes out of this Kentucky team. I thought the best advertisement or promotion for Ashton Hagans for National Defensive Player of the Year – and he’s right there, I think, to get that award – was how he played in the ballgame (at) Georgia. There were at least three or four possessions in that ballgame where Georgia was taking it down in an advantage situation and Ashton Hagans disrupted it and it turned into two points for Kentucky.”

Last season, breaking onto the national stage because of his defensive prowess, Hagans was a finalist for last season’s Naismith award and was named to the CollegeInsider.com Lefty Drisell Defensive All-America Team, the CollegeInsider.com Kyle Macy Freshman All-America Team and the Athletic’s All-Glue Team.

UK’s point guard’s game has evolved in year two and he’s impacting the game in a multitude of ways.

"We could say there are better point guards in the country, but you got to tell me who you're talking about," John Calipari said recently.

With the way Hagans is playing this season, there are few rebuttals.

Hagans has been the consummate point guard in his sophomore season, doing a little bit of everything to affect the game. He is averaging 13.6 points, 7.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game while grabbing the leadership reins of a talented but once again young team. He's one of only two players in the nation averaging at least 13.0 points, 7.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals.

He has boasted double-figure scoring in 14 of 18 games, including a career-high 26-point performance in the win over Utah Valley. He's dished out three or more assists in every game and has five or more in 16 of the 18, including a career-high-tying 12 vs. UAB. 

For the season, Hagans is averaging 7.3 assists per game, ranked eighth in the country, tops in the league (through games on Jan. 21) and ahead of Tyler Ulis' 2015-16 school-record 7.0 assists per game pace.

Hagans has flirted with a triple-double on a number of occasions this season, the latest of which was a 15-point, nine-assist, nine-rebound game vs. Alabama. Underscoring his coach's confidence in him, Hagans posted that line and Calipari wasn't satisfied.

"That's how much I think of (him)," Calipari said. "You're a triple-double, and I'm saying you're better."

Hagans has done all this while fighting through a pair of nagging injuries this season. He battled lower leg pain for the first handful of games to start the season and played through a left ankle sprain early in the SEC season.

UK returns to action on Saturday when it takes on No. 18/18 Texas Tech in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Tip is set for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.