Vanderbilt never lost sight of its goal en route to its 74-69 upset win over No. 9 Kentucky on Saturday. After the game, Commodores head coach Mark Byington reflected on a pivotal huddle in the final stretch of the heated battle.

Mark Byington says the Commodores' ability to withstand all that the No. 9 Wildcats threw at them enabled them to forge their 74-69 upset in Nashville.

Kentucky basketball fans have had a long line of Tennessee coaches to hate, but Rick Barnes is the exception to the rule.

Kentucky point guard Lamont Butler dribbled stealthily along the baseline before turning on a dime back toward the basket, attempting to muster a decent look late in the shot clock. With the No. 9 Wildcats nursing a four-point lead at Vanderbilt and under eight minutes remaining,

In the closing minutes of Saturday’s 74-69 upset of No. 9 Kentucky, Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee stood in front of the Commodores student section and pleaded with them to not storm the Memorial Gymnasium court.

Vanderbilt basketball has a No. 8 or 9 seed in the latest March Madness bracketology after recent wins vs top 10 Tennessee and Kentucky

Vandy will get another opportunity to slow down a high-octane offense against the Wildcats, who are averaging 89.2 points per game, second in the nation behind Alabama. Kentucky ranks first in the SEC in field goals made per game (31.2), three-point baskets per game (10.2) and assists per game (18.7).

Another competitive SEC men’s basketball contest played out Saturday afternoon in Nashville, when head coach Mark Pope and No. 9 Kentucky (now 14-5 overall and 3-3 in SEC play) lost to Mark Byington’s Vanderbilt Commodores (16-4,

Kentucky fifth-year forward Andrew Carr was ruled out for the Wildcats in the game on the SEC injury report injury report Saturday afternoon. This was the first game that Carr missed for UK this season. On Friday night’s injury report, Carr was listed as questionable, and Kerr Kriisa as out, for the Vanderbilt game.

Vanderbilt has officially been fined $500,000 for storming the court after beating Kentucky, the conference announced Sunday.

On a two-game losing streak, Kentucky faces a road trip to Tennessee and then John Calipari’s return to Rupp Arena.