Here's what Mark Byington said about Vanderbilt basketball's back to back court stormings against Tennessee and Kentucky basketball.

Carolina Panthers great Ryan Kalil is back in the game. As announced on Monday, the former All-Pro center and six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin have acquired a majority stake in Fundidores, an American football team based in Monterrey, Mexico. Kalil and Griffin, also…

Vanderbilt never lost sight of its goal en route to its 74-69 upset win over No. 9 Kentucky on Saturday. After the game, Commodores head coach Mark Byington reflected on a pivotal huddle in the final stretch of the heated battle.

Nine players departed after Stackhouse’s firing. That prompted Byington to bring in 11 transfers, including Michigan State guard AJ Hoggard, North Texas’ leading scorer Jason Edwards, Virginia Tech sharpshooter Tyler Nickel and James Madison sophomore center Jaylen Carey.

In the closing minutes of Saturday’s 74-69 upset of No. 9 Kentucky, Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee stood in front of the Commodores student section and pleaded with them to not storm the Memorial Gymnasium court.

Tyler Nickel’s 3-pointer with 1:50 left put Vanderbilt ahead to stay as the Commodores upset a Top 10 team on their home court for a second straight Saturday by beating No. 9 Kentucky 74-69.

Kentucky point guard Lamont Butler dribbled stealthily along the baseline before turning on a dime back toward the basket, attempting to muster a decent look late in the shot clock. With the No. 9 Wildcats nursing a four-point lead at Vanderbilt and under eight minutes remaining,

Kentucky basketball fans have had a long line of Tennessee coaches to hate, but Rick Barnes is the exception to the rule.

Vandy will get another opportunity to slow down a high-octane offense against the Wildcats, who are averaging 89.2 points per game, second in the nation behind Alabama. Kentucky ranks first in the SEC in field goals made per game (31.2), three-point baskets per game (10.2) and assists per game (18.7).

Vanderbilt has officially been fined $500,000 for storming the court after beating Kentucky, the conference announced Sunday.

Kentucky is undefeated in bounce-back games this season and will look to keep the perfect streak alive against Vanderbilt on Saturday in Nashville.

Byington is part of an influx of high-level coaches into the SEC, which is part of the reason the league is having an unprecedented season. The league has added impressive coaches in the past few seasons, including Kentucky's Mark Pope, Mississippi State's ...