Vandy-UK pregame

Photo source : US Presswire via cbssports.com I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but UK puts its 16 game winning streak on the line against the Vanderbilt Commodores tonight at 9 p.m. on ESPN. UK is a 5 point favorite, which is a little scary considering the way they’ve been playing lately. But as everyone knows, Vandy’s accident of a gymnasium presents one of college basketball’s biggest home court advantages. Add that to the fact that Kentucky is No. 1 in the nation, and you have a recipe for hostility. Memorial Gymnasium has not been kind to top-ranked teams in past years. The last four No. 1 teams to play at Memorial left with losses, including Florida in 2007 and UK in 1993. The ‘Cats are also just 1-5 in their last six games at Vandy. But that's all about to change tonight. A lot of people have forgotten that this Vanderbilt team was the preseason No. 7 ranked team in the nation. A lot of people have forgotten that because Vanderbilt has been far from impressive so far this year. Some inconsistent play throughout the season has led to a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Vandy fans. After getting handled by 13 at home by Cleveland State (who?) in the second game of the year, Vandy has also piled up losses at Arkansas and at home against Indiana State (who?), among others. They also found a way to lose by 12 points in overtime against Xavier, which has to be one of the highest margins of defeat for an overtime game of the season. Outside of Cleveland State and Indiana State, Vanderbilt has no other really awful losses. However, they don’t have many impressive wins either. Besides beating 13^th ranked Marquette on the road, Vandy has lost to every ranked opponent they’ve played this season. But something tells me the atmosphere of some of their other home losses was nothing like what it will be like in Memorial Gymnasium tonight. However, something ALSO tells me Vanderbilt hasn’t seen a team this talented in quite a few years. Should be a great game. Check back soon for a little player analysis. Well, most of the players are actually pretty tall, but the amount of analysis done on them will be little. Follow me on Twitter @djackson_KSR