FINAL: Kentucky knocked out of NCAA Tournament with tough loss to Tennessee

Round 3 between Kentucky and Tennessee didn’t look anything like the first two.

On Friday night in Indianapolis, (3) Kentucky led for just 32 seconds as (2) Tennessee outfought and outshot the Wildcats from start to finish in a 78-65 win, advancing the Volunteers to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. UK trailed by double-digits from the 8:54 mark of the first half until the final buzzer.

Kentucky struggled to play its game, shooting just 6-15 from deep and playing with little offensive flow. Lamont Butler (18 points, six rebounds, three assists) and Amari Williams (14 points, four rebounds, three assists) did what they could for the ‘Cats, but it was the defensive end of the floor where the struggles were highlighted.

Tennessee didn’t need to shoot well from deep (5-19) to win this one. The Vols made 63.2 percent of its two-pointers, won the rebounding battle by 10, scored 14 more second-chance points, and received 17 more points from its bench. Zakai Zeigler (18 points, 10 assists), Chaz Lanier (17 points), and Jordan Gainey (16) always found ways to score timely buckets.

Overall, Mark Pope‘s first season as head coach was a success. But losing in this ugly fashion to an SEC rival — one the ‘Cats beat twice in the regular season — during the Sweet 16 is a tough way to go into the offseason.

It was a nervous start for both sides a couple of minutes into the contest. Tennessee hit a couple of free throws before Koby Brea (1-7 FG on the night) drilled a three-pointer to shake off the jitters. But Kentucky never fully found a groove while the Volunteers hit theirs. UK went over four minutes without a field goal after Brea’s make as Tennessee jumped out to an early lead. UT built a double-digit edge a few times just 10 minutes in. Butler would pick up his second foul with 12:13 left in the half, but Pope elected to keep his star guard in the action for a few more minutes.

The decision paid off too. Butler responded with a layup as Kentucky started to put some points on the board. Otega Oweh, who had 13 points by the end of the night, cut the Tennessee lead to six, 21-15, after a pair of freebies. But the Vols punched right back with a 6-0 run to make it an 11-point lead as UK’s turnovers and poor defensive rebounding began to add up. Tennessee was also in the bonus with eight minutes to go. Outside of a good stretch from Williams, Kentucky couldn’t seem to do anything right.

Pope was forced to burn a timeout after a layup by Zeigler made it 35-20 with 4:46 left in the first half. The Wildcats looked lost on both ends of the floor. Tennessee extended its lead to 19 at the final media timeout of the half. Kentucky was getting to zero loose balls. A couple of clutch threes from Oweh and Collin Chandler in the final minute gave UK a small amount of life, but it was a 43-28 hole at the intermission.

Tennessee’s offense cooled off to start the second half, allowing UK a chance to make a run. The Wildcats were defending well and hitting shots, but after every made bucket, the Vols always seemed to find a way to score late in the shot clock. Second-chance opportunities and winning every 50/50 ball allowed Tennessee to maintain a double-digit lead midway through the second half. A five-point swing in five seconds, capped by a three from Zeigler, put the Volunteers in front 65-48 with 8:26 left.

And that was where the game officially went out of reach. There would be no final push from Kentucky. The Volunteers always had an answer to any UK score. A fun season for the ‘Cats came to an unfortunate end.