Kentucky struggled a bit against Mississippi State and Arkansas but ultimately pulled out close wins ahead of Wednesday’s matchup against the Commodores (8 p.m. CT, SEC Network).

Five players in Kentucky average double digits, including Antonio Reeves (19.9 points), Rob Dillingham (14.8 points), Reed Sheppard (12.5 points), Tre Mitchell (12 points) and DJ Wagner (10.2 points).

It is the No. 8 offence nationwide, according to KenPom.

Slow start

With so many freshmen in the mix early, Kentucky has had some inconsistencies this season. In nonconference play, the Wildcats lost to UNC Wilmington and started SEC play 5-4. But they have won five of their past six games. The lone loss was on a buzzer-beater to LSU.

After losing three straight games at Rupp Arena in a stretch from late January to early February, Kentucky has won its past three games at home.

3-point disparities?

Vanderbilt is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, at just 28.1%. Not only that, it also is 348th of 362 teams at 3-point defence, with opponents shooting 37.5%.

Kentucky, meanwhile, is the second-best 3-point shooting team in the country at 40.8%. If any team is equipped to take advantage of that Vanderbilt defence, it’s the Wildcats. Five of them shoot at least 40% from beyond the arc; Sheppard leads the country at 51.7%.

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Score prediction

Kentucky 99, Vanderbilt 65: The Wildcats project to score a lot of points, especially at home, and Vanderbilt simply doesn’t have the juice to keep up.