NASHVILLE — Forty-eight seconds remained on the scoreboard, No. 1 Kentucky leading Vanderbilt by five frail points, the Commodores’ Jeffery Taylor about to launch a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Given the 11 points and two triples Taylor had already totaled over the final half’s first 19 minutes and 12 seconds Saturday night, there was little reason to believe he wouldn’t bag another one from over the rainbow.
No reason, that is, except for the fact that one Anthony Davis had far different ideas. Seemingly flying in from West End Ave., UK’s freshman Spiderman soared through Memorial Gym’s supercharged air to slightly block Taylor’s jumper.
The ball ended up hitting fellow Commodore Festus Ezeli in the back of the head, was grabbed by the Cats’ Darius Miller and basically sealed Big Blue’s 68-63 victory, a win to all but officially lock up the Southeastern Conference regular-season crown, since UK now leads second-place Florida by 3.5 games with five to go.
Fittingly, when Davis was later asked Kentucky’s relentless defense, he replied, “We said it in every huddle, ‘We’re going to lock up defensively.'”