LEX 18 — Despite a wintry mix of cold and ice rolling thru much of the country, that didn't stop Kentucky men's basketball from finding some warmth in the unique confines of Vanderbilt's Memorial Gymnasium.
No. 18 Vanderbilt rode a red hot shooting night from Tyler Tanner towards a dominant 00-00 victory over Kentucky. The Sophomore guard led the way with a team-high 19 points en route to a second straight win against the Wildcats in Nashville. Tyler Nickel added 19 points of his own.
It was yet another slow start to the game for the Wildcats, with Kentucky failing to register a made shot from the field for the opening 4:36 of game time. Vanderbilt led 9-4 at the opening media timeout, and extended that lead to 15-4 following a breakaway dunk from Tyler Tanner.
Otega Oweh injected some life into the Wildcats in the first half with a nifty steal and subsequent two handed dunk. The senior guard followed that play up with yet another transition flush to bring the deficit down to 13. He had a game-high 20 points on 7-19 shooting from the field.
Back-to-back @OtegaOweh fast break SLAMS
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 28, 2026
📺 - ESPN pic.twitter.com/LFMjYKaooe
Vanderbilt took back its lofty lead courtesy of a flurry of three-pointers. The Commodores shot 7-14 in the first half from behind the arc to take a 43-23 lead into the locker room.
Vanderbilt's 43 points is the most a Commodores team has scored in the first half against Kentucky since Feb. 12, 2011 (44 pts).@LEX18News | @BBNTonight
— Noah Cierzan (@ncierzan) January 28, 2026
Kentucky's woes on offense spilled into the second half, where it was unable to mount another late comeback. On the night, the Wildcats shot 19-59 from the field, and just 25 percent on three-pointers.
Up next, Kentucky travels to Fayetteville for another ranked clash. Tip-off against the 15th ranked Arkansas is set for 6:30 p.m.
For more on Kentucky men's basketball and all of the Wildcats, join us on BBN Tonight, airing weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on the official station for UK Athletics, LEX 18.
