LEXINGTON, Ky. — Wednesday saw Kentucky defeat Vanderbilt for the 12th straight time; it was the 14th in a row in Rupp Arena.
But the Cats’ 77-70 victory was far from routine.
Both coaches received technical fouls in a competitive game that kept fans booing and cheering until the final minutes.
There were three flagrant-one fouls called: two on Oscar Tshiebwe and one on Vandy’s Jamaine Mann.
Overall, the referees went to the scorer’s table four times to review plays.
If that wasn’t unusual enough, Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse called timeout with 17 seconds left and Kentucky ahead by nine. This drew boos.
Kentucky, which did not trail in the game’s final 28-plus minutes, had to persevere after Tshiebwe picked up his fourth foul with 9:57 left.
With the lead down to 56-53, Keion Brooks hit a baseline jumper to start an 11-2 mini-run that pointed Kentucky toward victory.
Coming off a career-high 27 points at Kansas Saturday, Brooks finished with 20 this time.
Davion Mintz equaled a career high with 21 points.
Vanderbilt came into the game having beaten Georgia for a second time. That marked the Commodores’ first sweep of an SEC opponent since 2016-17.
“We feel we’re getting as whole as we have all season,” Stackhouse said on Tuesday.
No doubt 7-footer Liam Robbins’ first action of the season enhanced the Commodores’ feeling of enhancement. Robbins, who led the Big Ten in blocks last season before transferring, had not played this season because of injuries. His presence helped Vandy keep Tshiebwe within what for him are normal bounds: 11 points and 17 rebounds.
Vandy guard Scotty Pippen Jr. continued to thrive against UK. He led Vandy with 33 points. That’s the most scored by an SEC player this season.
In the first game against Kentucky, Pippen scored 32 points.
Jordan Wright, who went scoreless in the first game, added 14 points. But it wasn’t enough to deny Kentucky its 18th victory in 22 games. UK improved to 7-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
Vanderbilt slipped to 11-10 and 3-6.
Much of the first half suggested a replay of the first time the teams played. In Nashville, UK led 41-28 at halftime. That was the score again as the first half reached its final second.
Then Pippen swished a 3 to reduce Kentucky’s lead at intermission to 41-31. That capped a 17-point first half for Pippen.
It wasn’t as if Kentucky did not give Pippen defensive attention. When he was in the midst of scoring seven of Vandy’s first nine points, UK switched defenders: from TyTy Washington to Mintz
Pippen did not score again until he hit a driving shot with 4:52 left. But that started a run in which he scored 10 of Vandy’s final 13 points.
But one player could not prevent Kentucky from building a lead in the final eight-plus minutes of the half.
UK’s lead reached its zenith with Kellan Grady’s fourth 3-pointer of the half. That put UK ahead 38-22 with 2:02 left.
Even then, the first half was not a breeze for Kentucky. With Sahvir Wheeler saddled with two fouls at the 12:23 mark, UK coach John Calipari received a technical foul 62 seconds later. He seemed to protest a foul called on Tshiebwe on an offensive rebound attempt.
Still, with Mintz and Grady combining to make 6 of 8 3-point shots, Kentucky seemed in good shape at halftime.
Less than three minutes into the second half, Vandy had closed within 43-38. A 3 by Wright with 17:36 left reduced UK’s lead to five points.
The next UK possession ended up reducing the lead further. A double foul was called on Tshiebwe and Vandy “big” Quentin Millora-Brown as they jockeyed for post position.
After a review, the referees called a flagrant-one foul on Tshiebwe for throwing an arm into Millora-Brown’s head.
Vanderbilt kept narrowing Kentucky’s lead. A mid-range jumper by Wright made UK’s lead 44-43 with 15:54 left.
A 3-pointer by Mintz started an 8-0 run that gave Kentucky breathing room. His two free throws capped the mini run that put UK ahead 52-43 with 12:11 left.
Stackhouse received a technical in this span. It came with 14:08 left after he apparently believed Brooks’ tip-in was the result of basket interference.
The game’s second flagrant foul came when assessed Vandy’s Mann with 11:41 left.
Brooks made both free throws to put UK ahead 56-46.
Tshiebwe’s second flagrant foul came with 9:57 when he again put his arms in the face of a post defender. This was his fourth foul.
