Skip to main content
KSRKSR Plus
KSBoard
kentucky logo

KSR Today: Reliving a Shocking, Unexpected Kentucky Victory at Tennessee

Nick Roushby:Nick Roush•01/15/23•

RoushKSR

oscar tshiebwe tennessee dunk
Chet White | UK Athletics

I woke up in a bad mood Saturday morning. Like many of you, I hate Tennessee with every fiber of my being. Just the sight of that throw-up orange hits me in the gag reflex. After watching Kentucky basketball for the last month, I prepared for an unpleasant afternoon of stomaching another embarrassing loss, this time to the worst collective group of people on planet Earth. Unable to tolerate my awful mood, my wife left the house and put me in charge of two kids. Little did she know upon her return I would be recklessly celebrating a Kentucky basketball victory over the Tennessee Volunteers.

Like we’ve seen many times before, Kentucky fell into an early hole, trailing 8-0 at the first media timeout. Unlike many times before, Kentucky did not have just one counterpunch. Once the Wildcats got back into the game, they kept applying pressure to Tennessee. CJ Fredrick was sinking shots and nothing was coming easily for the Vols offensively. Kentucky took a lead with just under five minutes to go in the first half and only gave it back up once.

Even when Tennessee briefly regained the lead in the second half, Kentucky did not fold. Even when the whistles did not go their way, they never panicked. The Wildcats closed out No. 5 Tennessee with a 63-56 win. It’s the most shocking regular season win of the John Calipari era, for a variety of reasons. Let me explain.

Kentucky was Short-Handed

The Wildcats closed 12-point underdogs at Tennessee. Kentucky hasn’t had a + sign next to a number that large since Tyler Hansbrough put it on Billy G’s Cats in 2008. That large spread wasn’t even factoring in absences.

Sahvir Wheeler and Daimion Collins were sidelined by injuries. It forced Cason Wallace to be Kentucky’s primary point guard, but he was coming off just eight minutes against South Carolina, thanks to nagging back spasms. They resurfaced in Knoxville. Coupled with foul trouble, Wallace was limited to 22 minutes. He struggled, missing all three field goal attempts and committing five turnovers, but Tyler Ulis kept his head in the game, tallying six assists and captaining the offense down the stretch.

The Wildcats Made Free Throws?

Kentucky entered the game as one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the SEC, shooting just 65.6% from the charity stripe. As expected, the game got physical between the Cats and the Vols. Whistles were heard early and often with 42 combined personal fouls called in 40 minutes. Instead of folding under pressure at the line, the Wildcats stepped up and buried em, knocking down 22-of-25 (88%) free throws. Eight of those were made in the final four minutes to close out the Vols.

Defense, Defense, Defense YEAH!

Kentucky was one of the worst defensive teams in America. In the six games entering the contest, they had a defensive efficiency ranking in the 350s. South Carolina scored 42 total points against Tennessee. The Gamecocks scored that many in one half at Rupp Arena. In the first month or two of the season, all of the criticism was on the offense. Once they figured out how to operate offensively, they forgot how to guard. It all came together Saturday in Knoxville.

“We defended and fought like my teams normally do. We hadn’t been that to this point,” John Calipari said after the game. “They made a commitment to each other that they would fight this game and it was between them.”

Tennessee shot just 3-of-21 from the three-point line , made just 10-of-21 layups and was out-rebounded 43-23, including 13-4 on the offensive glass.

Kentucky Showed Fight

Kentucky did things against Tennessee they had rarely done this season, never against a quality opponent. After falling to South Carolina, many across the BBN, myself included, expected the worst for the rest of the regular season. Despite all of their struggles, the Wildcats found it within them to fight back. It was an improbable win that proves this team can beat, or lose, to anybody on their schedule. That’s going to make for a wild ride for the BBN over the next two months.

John Calipari, Players Discuss Win over Tennessee

KSR Postgame Coverage

Kentucky Celebrates a W

Drew Franklin has never seen a loss at Thompson-Boling Arena. Watch him chug some Voluntears with Steven Peake on the baseline.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

What an Idiot

The Wildcats closed 12-point underdogs at Tennessee. Kentucky hasn’t had a + sign next to a number that large since Tyler Hansbrough put it on Billy G’s Cats in 2008. That large spread wasn’t even factoring in absences. Sahvir Wheeler and Daimion Collins were sidelined by injuries. It forced Cason Wallace to be Kentucky’s primary point guard, but he was coming off just eight minutes against South Carolina, thanks to nagging back spasms. They resurfaced in Knoxville. Coupled with foul trouble, Wallace was limited to 22 minutes. He struggled, missing all three field goal attempts and committing five turnovers, but Tyler Ulis helped keep his head in the game to tally six assists.

We have three games on the slate today, starting with Miami at Buffalo (1 pm, CBS), New York and Minnesota (4:30 pm, Fox) and Baltimore at Cincinnati (8:15, NBC).

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2025-01-14