Here. We. Go.

Vanderbilt has certainly played in its fair share of big games this season but none feel bigger than this one. The Commodores will face off against Kentucky on Friday night with plenty to lose and just as much to gain.

With a win, Vanderbilt's tournament hopes will be as alive as they've ever been. With a loss, you may as well throw them away. Friday night's contest is that important.

The Commodores enter Friday as an eight-and-a-half-point underdog but that certainly doesn't seal their fate.

Coach Jerry Stackhouse's team entered Rupp Arena last week as a 10-point underdog, lost its best player in the opening minutes and still found a way to knock off the Wildcats.

The Wildcats' prowess on the offensive glass and roster full of athletes give this one the feel of a poor matchup for Vanderbilt. That hasn't stopped the Commodores recently, though. Stackhouse's team has seemed to play its best basketball when the odds are stacked against it and its back is against the wall.

It feels like Vanderbilt has been playing in a play-in game each night since early February and its responded by winning nine out of its last 10 along with four in a row after its loss in Baton Rouge.

The blueprint on Friday night is the same as it has been throughout that four-game stretch where the Commodores have been missing Liam Robbins: do just enough to hold their own on the interior and win behind its guardplay.

That blueprint has been successful for the Commodores, but it will be tested more than it ever has against the 23rd-ranked Wildcats.

In its last matchup with Kentucky, the Wildcats shot just 32.2% from the field and 15.8% from 3-point range but took Vanderbilt to the buzzer behind 26 offensive rebounds that resulted in 22 second-chance points.

The law of averages says that Kentucky won't shoot that poorly again and that the Commodores' margin for error will be even smaller than it was last time.

A different law also says that John Calipari's team won't overlook Vanderbilt like it may have in Rupp Arena. It will also have projected first-round pick Cason Wallace back in the lineup after he went down in the first half of last week's game.

Friday night's matchup, which will be Vanderbilt's second game in as many days, may be the Commodores' toughest test that they've faced without Liam Robbins.

Stackhouse's team has shown no reason to bet against it, though.

Saying this one is important feels like an understatement, this one could change the entire outlook of Vanderbilt's season.