Kentucky vs Vanderbilt live score updates, highlights, how to watch SEC basketball game

Posted by author January 25, 2025 Basketball

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The rosters for Kentucky basketball and Vanderbilt aren’t all that dissimilar. Not in terms of talent, a characteristic that can’t be measured in raw numbers. What the Wildcats and Commodores share is that of programs which have had wholesale turnover since last season ended.

UK’s 2024-25 roster doesn’t feature a single scholarship player from the previous year’s team; the same is true for the Commodores. First-year Kentucky coach Mark Pope brought in nine players via the transfer portal along with three freshmen. Fellow rookie SEC coach Mark Byington leaned even heavier into the transfer market; Byington’s Vandy squad has 11 transfers.

Despite the colossal changes each program has experienced since the 2023-24 campaign concluded, however, it hasn’t slowed down either one this season.

UK enters today’s matchup at Memorial Gymnasium with a 14-4 overall record, including a 3-2 mark in SEC play, coming in at No. 9 in both the USA TODAY Coaches and Associated Press Top 25 polls. Vandy is 15-4 (3-3 in conference games).

Pope admires Byington’s handiwork.

“What an unbelievable job that staff has done on constructing this team and putting together pieces that fit and having guys fully buy in,” Pope said. “They’re playing incredibly hard and have some real joy and moxie and toughness in their game.

“As a full reconstruct, that’s really impressive.”

Which team will come out on top today in Nashville?

Follow along below with live updates:

The Cats trail at halftime, 41-27 after the Commodores capitalized on turnovers from the visitors.

Kentucky had 10 turnovers; Vandy scored nine points off those giveaways.

UK is shooting 37.9% (11 for 29) from the field, and is just 4 of 14 (28.6%) behind the 3-point line. Jaxson Robinson and Brandon Garrison lead the Wildcats with six points apiece.

Vanderbilt made 44.7% (17 for 38) of its field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes.

Commodores guard Jason Edwards had 12 points to top the scoring chart in the first half.

With 7:49 remaining in the first half, Kentucky leads Vanderbilt, 22-21.

UK is 9 for 19 (47.4%) from the field; Vanderbiltis 8 of 23 (34.8%). Kentucky is 4 for 10 (40%) beyond the 3-point line. Vanderbilt is 5 of 13 (38.5%) from distance.

The Commodores have missed seven of their last eight shots from the field, including four in a row.

With the NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs running into the Kentucky/Vanderbilt broadcast window, the contest between the Wildcats and Commodores will begin airing on ESPNews.

It will move back to ESPN once the Pacers/Spurs game concludes.

Here are Kentucky’s starters vs. Vanderbilt:

And here’s Vanderbilt’s lineup:

Andrew Carr, who has started all 18 games for Kentucky this season, will not play today versus Vanderbilt. A fifth-year senior forward, he was listed as “out” on the SEC’s availability report, which posted at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

Carr recently has been battling a back injury. Though UK coach Mark Pope earlier this week expressed optimism Carr would be closer to full health in time for the contest with the Commodores, the 6-foot-11, 235-pound Pennsylvania native instead will miss his first game of the 2024-25 campaign.

Read more here.

The contest between the Wildcats and Commodores will air on ESPN. Karl Ravech (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will have the call.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.

You also can stream ESPN on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.

You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.

Betting odds: Kentucky is a 2 ½-point road favorite (-110) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 166 ½ points (-110). The money line odds are Kentucky -142, Vanderbilt +120.

Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 103, Wright State 62
Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 100, Bucknell 72
Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 97, Lipscomb 68
Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59
Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 87, Western Kentucky 68
Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge) ∣ SCORE: Clemson 70, Kentucky 66
Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89 (OT)
Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Colgate 67
Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Ohio State 85, Kentucky 65
Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Brown 54
Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 106, Florida 100
Jan. 7: at Georgia | SCORE: Georgia 82, Kentucky 69
Jan. 11: at Mississippi State | SCORE: Kentucky 95, Mississippi State 90
Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 81, Texas A&M 69
Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Alabama 102, Kentucky 97
Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Jan. 28: at Tennessee, 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 4: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN/ESPN2
Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 15: at Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
Feb. 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1/4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network

Record: 14-4 (3-2 SEC)

Ansley Almonor (forward, senior)
Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
Andrew Carr (forward, graduate)
Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
Walker Horn (guard, junior)
Kerr Kriisa (guard, senior)
Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
Amari Williams (center, graduate)

The Commodores are 15-4 this season, with a 3-3 mark in SEC play.

Though UK is 157-49 all time versus Vanderbilt, the teams have split the last four meetings, with each team notching two victories.

Click here to see the Commodores’ full 2024-25 schedule.

Want to learn the Commodores’ roster?

Click here for player bios and more.

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.