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When Kentucky came back and tied it with a couple of minutes left I thought for sure we’d lose. A. The refs at Rupp wouldn’t let UK lose; and B. We wouldn’t be able to stop Tshiebwe.

Even after Wrights shot made it 68-66 with 2.6 seconds left I thought there was too much time on the clock. I thought for sure UK would get a shot at the buzzer and beat us. Or a foul call on Vanderbilt at the end.

I’m stunned we pulled it off.

I felt pretty good with a minute left. I especially liked stackhouse not calling the timeout or even running a play at the end. Something about this team isn’t “same old vandy”. We have a team of believers. And a team that doesn’t care how they win. They have some magic going for them and I hope it’s not too late in the season.

A timeout would have let UK organize their defense...they were in a bit of chaos.

Game - set - match: Stackhouse and VU

I had so many emotions running through me I didn't know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt. But when Wright hit that shot I screamed so loud my wife and puppy in another room jumped and wanted to know what was wrong.

There was some yelling in my house too. I was worried at the end. Over the past few years we've played UK mostly close and built some big leads only to lose. I was pretty confident that we'd win on the final play. It's hard to go that long of a distance in that short of time and score.

When UK tied it at around 2:00 left (or was it took the lead?), I felt we were left for dead. Rupp had been explosive in the second half. Once we held them with under 30 seconds left and had the ball in a tied game, I absolutely knew we'd win this game. Complete polar opposite feelings, welcome to the world of being a Vandy fan X20.

They beat us in Memorial Gymnasium on last second shots too many times. Tayshaun Prince one time. Nazr M another.

And then once when their shooting guard hit a floater in the lane after the shot clock expired … but we didn’t have a lighted backboard to alert the refs. If there was a buzzer, they didn’t hear it. (I don’t remember the player’s name).

One year John Jenkins could have won at the buzzer for us but John Wahl blocked his shot.

My first game in Lexington was on a student pass with my future brother-in-law. That was 1975 at Memorial Coliseum.

I went to a lot of games at Rupp. We won a couple, lost most. Vanderbilt had the lead as time was running out in one of the Drew seasons. Joe Toye fouled Gilgous-Alexander going for a loose ball; had he let it alone we would have won the game. Of course, 2 free throws made, overtime, and another ‘Dores defeat.

Unfortunately, I had been ill this week and stayed home. Bummer.

I was skeptical at the end. I agree that this is a different sort of team, but I've been disappointed SO many times, and Kentucky is tough. We were really screaming here at my house.

commadore wrote: ↑Thu Mar 02, 2023 8:53 pm I had so many emotions running through me I didn't know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt. But when Wright hit that shot I screamed so loud my wife and puppy in another room jumped and wanted to know what was wrong.

My wife does a good job of knowing the outcome of games by my ratio of "WooHoos " to "What the ..."

When QMB left with 4 fouls I was worried, but not hopelessly so.
Then when UK made their run, I was again worried, but not hopelessly so.

The broadcast put up our statistic about winning close games 8-4 in games 5 points or less (now 9-4!). That made me feel pretty confident with 2 min left to play. Once we had the ball for final possession,I felt even better. Between Manjon, Wright, and Lawrence we have three guys who can make something out of nothing. Plus I'd have no problem with Thomas, Stute, or Collins taking an outside shot with the game on the line.

Those kids delivered again!

Between the many years I’ve been a Vandy fan, it’s Rupp, it’s SEC officials at Rupp, Liam out, QMB out, Stute gone cold, Thomas gone cold…
Of course I expected to lose.
But I still had hope!

From my northeast Tennessee vantage point, I didn't get a chance to check-in until the latter part of the first half. i wasn't optimistic about the game. Pleasantly surprised to check "live stats" and see that the game was close. Coupled "live stats" with the stream on Vandymania. Certain that doing anything else would assure Vandy's loss, I refused to turn on tv and watch my 'Dores lose. Do you know how excruciatingly painful it is to follow through "live stats"? Those last two seconds must have lasted 10 minutes.

How do you win in Rupp with Liam going down in the first four minutes; Trey and Myles going 0-12 from the floor; a 22-attempt deficit in free throws; and only scoring 68 points? Amazing and I would have bet a lot that it would not have happened. Yes, at the end, I was sure Kentucky would hit a three to win.

Love this team and its improbable run of late.

In the 30 + years I’ve been a Vanderbilt fan we always have lost crazy close games at Rupp. We were winless there until Stallings finally won a couple of times at Rupp.

The year that Fogler had the NIT championship team with Seckar, McMahon, etc., Kentucky had just been hit by NCAA probation and had a very bad team. It was Pitino’s first year coaching there. We beat them in Nashville. But even that year, we lost a close game at Rupp Arena. As bad as they were that year, we couldn’t win in that place.

And the last time we played a close game against UK at Rupp was Drew’s last year, we took them to overtime, then there was a crazy foul called near mid court on a Vanderbilt player with the time ticking down. UK made free throws to win that one.

commadore wrote: ↑Thu Mar 02, 2023 8:53 pm ... But when Wright hit that shot I screamed so loud my wife and puppy in another room jumped and wanted to know what was wrong.

Kind of like how I reacted when Chase McGrath kicked that 40-yard field goal back on the third Saturday of October. :o 8-) 8-)

bornadore57 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:21 am How do you win in Rupp with Liam going down in the first four minutes; Trey and Myles going 0-12 from the floor; a 22-attempt deficit in free throws; and only scoring 68 points?

Defense.