FanPost

#7 UK Hoops Vs. #24 Vanderbilt: Open Game Thread

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt

Mon., Feb. 20 - 9:00 p.m. ET

Memorial Coliseum

Coverage

TV: ESPN2

Radio: UK IMG

For everyone who knows anything about UK Hoops, I don't have to tell you what this game means. For those of you who don't, I could give you a long list of hyperbolic examples, tell you about Theodore Roosevelt charging up San Juan Hill and all that, but the times for speeches and being brave in the face of danger is over. It is time for action, and that's the long and the short of it.

A few short stats after the jump...

After falling at Alabama on Thursday, the Wildcats (21-5, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) are currently a half game back of Tennessee for first place with three games remaining in the regular season. Tennessee only has 2 games remaining.

Kentucky's big gun is junior All-American and SEC Player of the Year candidate A’dia Mathies. Mathies leads the Cats in almost every statistical category, including scoring (15.4), steals (2.8), 3-point field goals made (41) and 3-point field goal percentage (.380). She is also second on the team in rebounding (5.2), assists (2.6) and blocks (0.7). Bria Goss is second in scoring with 11.6 points per game. She leads the team in charges taken with 18. Sophomore forward Samarie Walker is UK’s leading rebounder with 6.1 rebounds per game.

Vanderbilt enters tonight’s game coming off a 75-69 win over Florida. Tiffany Clarke’s 18-point, 17-rebound double-double led Vandy. Jasmine Lister (16 points), Christina Foggie (15 points) and Stephanie Holzer (14 points) also scored in double figures.

Vanderbilt relies on Foggie, who is averaging 18.0 points per game, the most in the SEC. Foggie is shooting an SEC-best 43.7 percent from 3-point range and knocking down an SEC-best 2.8 3-pointers per game. Clarke leads the Commodores on the glass with 7.6 rebounds per game and Holzer isn’t far behind, averaging 7.4 boards.

The Commodores lead the series 27-16 overall, including a slight 10-9 advantage in Lexington. UK has won all three meetings vs. the Commodores last season, including a 78-68 victory in Memorial Coliseum.