MUST-SEE: The Journey recaps (another) Kentucky win over Tennessee

You could hear a pin drop when Lamont Butler went down with 8:40 to go in the second half. Rupp Arena, full from top to bottom with 20,500 strong, found itself dead silent as Kentucky‘s starting point guard hit the deck and immediately grabbed his left shoulder.

Then the Wildcats created magic, winning the final two segments 21-12 to earn a gutsy double-digit home victory against the No. 5 team in the country. It was an all-in team effort that led to a historic seventh win against top-15 competition on the season — the most all-time for the program.

How did it all happen? The Journey is here to take you behind the scenes from start to finish, yet another masterpiece put together by the UK Sports Video team.

“The key to this game, guys, is can we manufacture pace? Our pace is going to come from defensive stops,” Mark Pope told the team at halftime. “Your defensive vibe is great right now, you’re working great on the glass, you’re paying attention to details, we’re doing it legally. Get ’em, and then let’s find the pace. Bigs, keep working to get inside the three. You got Otega wide-open because you rolled hard. Even off the hand-off, roll hard.”

You get all of the sights and sounds from Rupp Arena with all of the key moments — Trent Noah’s red-hot stretch, Ansley Almonor setting the tone in the second half, Koby Brea’s clutch shots and the game-sealing alley-oop slam by Otega Oweh that brought the house down. And the best part? Pope’s meeting with the Cats after celebrating the big win.

“You can’t buy what you just did out there. You cannot buy it,” he told the team.

Take a look:

KSR’s sights and sounds from Rupp Arena

KSR shared its own angle of the Rupp Arena environment in our own behind-the-scenes video after the win, Steven Peake deserving all the credit in the world for putting that one together. You get to hear his emotions in real time — “How is Mark Pope pulling off these games?” was once heck of a line to wrap things up.

Keep the celebration by checking that one out, too:

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.