TODAY'S GAME
By JACK PERRY Assistant Sports Information Director
Kentucky and Vanderbilt renew one of the South's finest basketball rivalries today in Lexington before a national television audience on the NBC network. Tip-off is 4:00 p.m., EST at Memorial Coliseum.
While neither team's overall record is impressiveKentucky is 6-6 and Vandy 7-6the drama and nail-biting tension of the confrontation is certain to permeate an expected overflow crowd.
Consider the Commodores are tied for the Southeastern Conference lead with a 3-1 ledger while the proud Wildcats are struggling to stay alive in the race with a 1-3 mark.
Both teams have momentumVandy coming off a fine 77-66 win over arch-rival Tennessee  and the Wildcats, beset with inexperience and the loss of injured 6-foot-10 Rick Robey, earning their first conference win with a 92-76 effort over a solid Georgia team Monday. That same Georgia team took Vanderbilt into overtime two days earlier at Nashville before losing 95-85.
It will be a battle of age versus youthVandy starts three seniors while Kentucky likely will start three sophomores and one senior non-letterman.
Leading Vandy are seniors Jeff Fosnes, 17.8, Butch Feher, 17.3, and Joe Ford, 15.7, and sophomores Dick Keffer, 7.0 and John Sneed, 9.1. Feher and Sneed lead in rebounding with 8.3 and 7.2 respectively. The Commodores are hitting 48.5 percent from the field and are averaging 78.0 ppg to opponents' 78.4.
Expected to start for the Wildcats are guards Larry Johnson, 9.2, and Reggie Warford, 3.6, forwards Jack Givens, 19.0, and James Lee, 5.5, and center Mike Phillips, 1 1.3. Leading rebounders are Phillips, 6.9, Givens, 6.3, and Lee, 5.8.
Kentucky leads Vandy 72-26 in a series dating back to 1912.
The UK Jaycees play a preliminary against UK Dental School at 1 :00 p.m.
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Short Shots:
A thin Kentucky squad was cut to the critical stage when Dan Hall, a 6-10 sophomore center from Betsy Layne, Ky., announced Monday that he was withdrawing from school. Hall, who was married Dec. 23, enrolled at Marshall University early this week. He had started three games for the Cats this season and had scored eight points in nine games. Hall's exodus leaves the Cats with only 10 players, plus Rick Robey, who is recuperating from injury.
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Rick Robey, who suffered a moderate sprain of the right knee socket against Alabama a week ago, was released from the hospital Tuesday where he had been undergoing four hours therapy daily to strengthen his knee. He will continue therapy daily Monday, Robey fully extended his leg for the first time since his injuryHe is now lifting 30 lbs., a good sign say therapists.
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Senior guard Reggie Warford, the "old man" of the team,
started his  third consecutive game  against Georgia and came
through with a career high 12 points plus playing a nifty floor
game. The quick southpaw from Drakesboro has logged 133 minutes in 10 games compared to only 22 minutes during his first two years. Warford has improved his control of the ball, too, committing only nine turnovers during that span.
Mike Phillips, a 6-10, 235 lb. sophomore center from Akron, Ohio, was highly recruited by Tennessee as he was breaking records at Manchester High School. Last Saturday, he went to war against the Vols, scoring 26 points and grabbing 28 rebounds in the 90-88 overtime loss. The 28. rebounds is a UK single high since Dan Issel pulled down 29 against LSU in 1969. The UK record, 34, was set by Bob Burrow against Temple in 1955.
Mike Phillips, shown above against Washington State in the UKIT, grabbed 28 rebounds against Tennessee a week ago to record the fourth best single game effort at UK.
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