Lexington, KY--It wasn't a fluke.

Vanderbilt isn't a one hit wonder.

Instead, it proved to be the real deal on Saturday as it took down Kentucky as double-digit underdogs.

As a result, Vanderbilt should no longer just be known as the team who beat Alabama. It should be considered a threat.

This isn't the Vanderbilt of old. It's a team that can come out and beat you anywhere and anytime. It's a team that plays with edge and confidence like few others.

Clark Lea's team showed that this week.

Instead of falling in to the hype and becoming complacent after a win over No. 1 Alabama, it lasered in and filed another impressive win to move to 2-1 in SEC play.

On Saturday it was the same story for Vanderbilt. Not the one of its past, but the story of what it currently is.

When it looked as if the 'same old Vanderbilt' label would be placed on this team it was on the other side of mistakes that were characteristic of its past. When it felt like this one may fall apart, it felt like it would find a way.

It felt like it knew how to win more than its opponent. A sentence like that is indicative of what Lea has on his hands.

That's a team that is physically capable in this conference, a team that delivers in the big moments, a team that doesn't often make mistakes and a team that is capable of putting together a special season.

In some ways it already has.

With Saturday's win, Vanderbilt now has more wins this season against power-four opponents than it had throughout the entirety of the rest of Lea's tenure. It also has the same amount of SEC wins as it did in Lea's previous three seasons.

Those wins haven't been luck based. They've been the result of a technically sound team that's often been more disciplined than its opponents.

They've been the result of a team that knows its identity and plays to it.

Vanderbilt didn't abandon that identity on Saturday night, but used it to win in a way it hadn't yet.

Lea's team still won the margins and emphasized ball control, but instead of squeaking by in a high-scoring affair, Vanderbilt leaned heavily on its defense. That group turned in its best performance of the season as it held Kentucky to just 13 points and forced two turnovers.

Vanderbilt's offense complemented it by doing what it's been known to do for the entirety of this season; showing up when it matters most.

That's been a theme for this group.

A theme like that paired with the belief within Vanderbilt's team makes the possibilities endless.

If it can beat No. 1 Alabama then follow it up by going on the road and coming out victorious then who can't it beat.

Who's to bet against it at this point.

That wouldn't be a smart investment.