Kentucky takes on Vanderbilt in historic Memorial Gymnasium early Saturday afternoon.

If the Cats win they climb the SEC standings. If they lose, they drop to .500 in SEC play.

Here are takes on the game from CI writers.

Jeff Drummond: On paper, this is close matchup across the board. Vanderbilt has home-court advantage, but Kentucky has always been backed well in Music City. Listening to those who have done a deep dive into the Xs and Os this one sounds like it will come down to the Wildcats’ ability to defend Vandy’s pick-and-roll offensive sets. It’s been a weak spot for UK, and the Commodores are equipped to make them pay for it. Mark Pope’s squad should have scoring opportunities of its own. This will not be a “rock fight” type of game, so the Cats will have chances to get into a rhythm if they are hitting from the perimeter. I think this is a good chance to get Koby Brea rolling. He’ll be my MVP pick in a 84-80 win for Kentucky.

Travis Graf: When you just take a quick glance at the roster, this Vanderbilt roster doesn’t strike fear into you, but it’s full of high floor, veteran players. Mark Byington has the program moving in the right direction in year one at the helm, with a 15-4 record while beating teams that Vanderbilt hasn’t consistently beaten in years, highlighted with a marquee win over Tennessee. Vanderbilt is always a tricky place to play and the 3.5 point spread gives me some pause, thinking this is going to be a hard fought game for Kentucky. This game is going to come down to who executes their stuff at a higher level. Give me Kentucky 82, Vanderbilt 79 and the MVP as Amari Williams.

David Sisk: This game is going to be interesting. Both teams are going to have plenty of excited fans there, so the environment is going to be great. Both teams also have first year coaches with similar philosophies. Each team can do things to hurt the other. Vandy uses runs a modern day offense with lots of ball-screens. Kentucky has struggled defending that. Kentucky will have a big size advantage. The two defenses are separated by one place according to KenPom. Which team gets hot from three-point range could be the determining factor. It’s also what makes Vanderbilt a dangerous home team. I look for either Andrew Carr and/or Amari Williams to have a big game. Kentucky will have an advantage in rim protection and rebounding. That will be the difference. Kentucky 86 Vanderbilt 81