Rick Barnes praises Tennessee fans, makes bold statement after Kentucky win

Tennessee has been playing at a high level season long – and that was certainly the case on Tuesday night. Taking on No. 4 ranked Kentucky in a sold-out, electric Thompson-Boling Arena, the No. 16 Volunteers stepped up to the plate and delivered a top-tier performance in a 76-63 win over the Wildcats to extend their winning streak to five straight.

The Volunteers were the better team all throughout the night, as they built a commanding 46-32 lead at halftime and remained in control throughout the second half – never allowing Kentucky to get back into it. Tennessee shot 44.4% from the field, made eight 3-pointers and had 17 assists compared to only eight turnovers.

Following Tennessee’s big win, head coach Rick Barnes met with the media for his postgame press conference and praised Volunteer fans for the energy they created during the game – and he also made a bold statement about his program.

“I don’t know if it was the technical foul that did it,” Barnes said when asked if Kentucky coach John Calipari’s technical foul is what brought the crowd to life. “I don’t know any of that. I think our fans were ready from the get-go. Before I ever came out tonight, it was electric out there – and you expect it to be. It’s one of the great rivalries in college basketball. You expect it. I mean, we expect it when we go up there and I know they expect it when they come in here.

“But, even when you’re up – we talked about it at halftime. The last time we won at Rupp Arena, we were down 16 with not much to play with and we come back. We have so much respect for them that, ‘Hey, you’ve gotta keep playing.’ We knew they would make a run at some point in time – they did, and then we answered it. Again, this building – I’m partial, but I think it’s the best. Everyone talks about the ‘blue bloods,’ but the ‘orange bloods’ are right there.”

Fresh off its win over Kentucky and riding a hot streak, Tennessee – which is now 19-6 overall with a 10-3 mark in SEC play – returns to action Saturday on the road at Arkansas. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.