NASHVILLE — Kentucky has proved it can win in a fast-paced environment and pull off the same feat when other teams get rough and tough. The Wildcats also proved it doesn’t take speed and quickness to wear down the opposition.
Host Vanderbilt forced the Wildcats into a half-court tangle Tuesday night and Kentucky showed it was capable of succeeding while playing at a much slower pace in an 87-81 victory over the Commodores at Memorial Gym.
The Wildcats overcame early foul trouble to hold off the Commodores down the stretch. Kentucky (14-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) sank four free throws — all by freshman guard Malik Monk — in the final 17 seconds to seal the team’s fourth straight victory to open conference play.
BOXSCORE: Kentucky 87, Vanderbilt 81
For Kentucky, it was another learning experience and served notice to conference foes who want to slow down the Wildcats’ offense and force John Calipari’s squad into a half-court scheme.
“I just think that today we showed people that not only are we a transition team, but we can play in the half-court also,” Kentucky veteran guard Isaiah Briscoe said.
Briscoe, who finished with a career-high 23 points, was the benefactor of the team’s patient attack and did most of his scoring with easy layups underneath against Vandy’s defense.
“When (the defender) played off of me, I just gave a full head of steam going towards him and just changed directions and got in the lane,” Briscoe said. “It’s just something I’ve always known how to do.”
It was Briscoe and Bam Adebayo who help kept the Wildcats from suffering a complete meltdown in the first half as Fox and leading scorer Malik Monk sat out because of foul trouble. Briscoe and Adebayo combined for 23 points in the first frame, preventing the Commodores from seizing the momentum.
Like Briscoe, Fox was able to get into the lane with ease and ran kept the offense under control during times of adversity, especially in the second half when the Commodores made a final push down he stretch.
“It was extremely important, just being able to show people even if we’re not out and running that we can execute in the half-court,” Fox said. “I think that’s what we did in the second half.”
Although the contest was too close for comfort at times, Fox didn’t mind the pace and said the Wildcats made the right plays when they mattered the most.
“I think down the stretch, we executed all our plays,” he said. “We got layups, mid-range shots that we needed and we made some tough free throws. So it just showed people that even in a close game we can still execute.”
The freshman guard also didn’t mind the closer-than-expected final margin, a surprise, considering the Wildcats were favored to win by double digits.
“We need close games,” Fox said. “It’s just important for us to show people that we can win these tough games. We had a tough game against North Carolina and it’s just something that we need to build towards. We’re a young team, so people think they can get us in a close game and we don’t have the experience to be able to win games like that.”
The change of pace gave Kentucky coach John Caliapri an idea of what to expect when teams slowdown the pace and what steps he needs to make to keep his team on the right path.
“It’s just that it’s a different game for us and we need all these kind of games to show us where we’ve got to go — and mainly me as a coach,” Calipari said.
Calipari also praised his team’s ability to rebound and fight against the Commodores, who suffered just their second home defeat of the season.
“Like I told these guys, you’ve got to enjoy the wins,” the Kentucky coach said. “I’ve been doing this 30 years. Enjoy the wins. When we win a game, it’s not relief for me. It is joy. I am happy. And it was a hard-fought game, which even makes me happier.”
As Calipari’s squad discovered, there’s more than just one path to victory.
Gametracker: Auburn at Kentucky, 4 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, 98.1 FM WBUL.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter