Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope praised senior forward Andrew Carr for his performance in the win over Vanderbilt. The No. 17 Wildcats dominated what was supposed to be a close affair at home against their SEC rival. Carr, who was one of the best players on the team earlier this season, looked like himself again after struggling for over a month with injuries.
The transfer from Wake Forest put up eleven points on five of eight shooting from the field to help propel Mark Pope’s team to the 82-61 win. The Wildcats are now in a prime position to get a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. And this squad at full strength would be dangerous for anyone in the field of 68. Pope knows that and was encouraged by his big man’s showing on Wednesday.
In an interview with Kentucky beat writer Aaron Gershon, the first-year coach in Lexington was very optimistic about what this game should mean for Carr going forward.
“I thought he looked brilliant. For the first time, he looked like his attacking self…we all know this Andrew Carr.”
Kentucky basketball will have plenty of opportunities to raise its tournament seed in March
Carr is averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season. While those stats are good, they don’t tell the full story of the forward’s impact. Kentucky was among the best teams in the country when its 6’11 forward was at full strength. The Wildcats are 13-2 when Carr scores more than ten points with several signature wins over top 15 opponents.
Unfortunately, over the past month, the West Chester, Pennsylvania native has only reached double digits in scoring twice. That largely has to do with a back injury that Carr has been nursing during that span. At the same time, staring point guard Lamont Butler has been nicked up on several occasions.
Butler, who transferred to Kentucky basketball this offseason, is a critical player for Mark Pope’s team, especially with March inching closer. The grad transfer is one of the most battle-tested players in the country and has already been a part of an iconic NCAA Tournament moment. When he was at San Diego State, Butler hit a buzzer-beating jump shot to give the Aztecs the win in the 2023 Final Four over Florida Atlantic.
Overall, Kentucky basketball seems to be rounding into health at the most important time of the year. Projected as a No. 3 seed in ESPN’s current bracket, the Wildcats have plenty of opportunities to improve that standing. Not that three-seed is bad at all. Mark Pope’s team still has No. 1 Auburn, No. 4 Alabama, and No. 15 Missouri on the schedule. Therefore, Andrew Carr will need to continue having performances like the one he had tonight if the Wildcats are to pick up some more signature wins.
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