Victory Sunday: Kentucky Sweeps Tennessee

The best Sundays are Sundays after a Kentucky basketball win. They’re even better after a double-digit win over Tennessee, the second of the year. What can I say, I love the taste of Voluntears in the morning.

Kentucky held No. 10 Tennessee to just four points in the opening eight minutes of action to build up a 20-point lead at half and hold on for a 66-54 win at Rupp Arena. The win was the Wildcats’ fourth Quad 1 victory of the season, improving to 18-9, 9-5 in SEC play. It’s the first time Kentucky has swept its border rival in the regular season since 2012.

“They low-down, dirty snitches,” is what I wish John Calipari said after the game. Unfortunately, he did not gloat in his friend Rick Barnes’ face, but he did receive some affirmation from the victory.

“I’ve said all along we were going to break through,” Calipari said in his postgame remarks. “We’ve had two losses that you would like to have back. We’ve had other games, really the first game, but, you know what, none of that matters now. Everything is us going forward. So we have a tough game. We got road games, two tough road games. We got two tough home games. Play the games. Let’s see how we are, let’s see if we get healthy and let’s see if we get better.”

Cason Wallace had 16 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Oscar Tshiebwe pitched in 16 points and seven boards, while Chris Livingston kept playing his best basketball, recording a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.

John Calipari Got His Swagger Back

Bubble Talk has consumed the Big Blue Nation, but maybe more so, when the national media brings up Kentucky, it’s all about their NCAA Tournament chances, or lack there of. The double-digit win has the Wildcats sitting pretty with four regular season games remaining, three of which are Quad 1 opponents.

“Talking us out of the NCAA Tournament does not work,” Calipari said. “You either play yourself in or you play. So people talking, ‘They’re done,’ and I just said, ‘Look, don’t listen to it.’ All I’m saying to them is, ‘Don’t listen to all the garbage. And if you hear it, turn it off, turn your computer off.’ And just have good thoughts about this team because this team is trying to fight.”

Kentucky Salutes 90s Stars

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Kentucky Climbs Up SEC Standings

Not only did Kentucky get a big win over its rival, it catapulted the Cats up the SEC standings. Kentucky is now tied for third in the league with the Vols. Of course, Kentucky owns the tiebreaker over Tennessee too. Even though Alabama and A&M might be too far away to catch, a double-bye in the SEC Tournament is within reach.

Discuss the Kentucky Win on KSR+

The Wildcats are getting hot just before the madness begins in March. There’s no better time to enjoy more premium Kentucky content than right now. Subscribe to KSR+ for only $10 and join the conversation on KSBoard, the KSR+ Message Board.

A Special Rapid Reactions Guest

Jack, Zack and Drew were not the stars of the postgame show. That would be Grandpa Joe, Chris Livingston’s grandfather. Take a closer look at a joyous postgame show from Rupp Arena.

UK Women’s Basketball in Action

Kyra Elzy’s Cats are searching for some late season momentum with only three games remaining on the schedule. Today they travel to Nashville seeking their third conference win. Tip-off between the Cats and the Commodores is at 3 pm EST on SECN+.

Kentucky Baseball Wraps Up Season-Opening Series

Pitcher Tyler Bosma brought the big fat stinky cheese, retiring the first 14 batters to propel Kentucky to a 5-1 victory over Elon, the Wildcats’ first win of the season. The Bat Cats set the tone with a three-run first inning to even the series at 1-1. The rubber match is today at 1 pm. You can hear all of the action on the UK Sports Network.

Kentucky Softball No-Hitter

The Wildcats kept rolling with a no-no in a Top 25 affair. Kentucky blanked No. 22 North Texas 4-0 and also shut out South Dakota 9-0 to improve to 5-1-1. They’ll finish the weekend in Texas with a matchup against Sam Houston State at 11 am EST.

STEPHANIE SCHOONOVER HAS THROWN A NO-HITTER!!

🥎 School-record 18 K’s
🥎 2nd-straight complete-game shutout#WeAreUK x #BBN pic.twitter.com/zLkzHzUEYF

— Kentucky Softball (@UKsoftball) February 19, 2023

Four Former Cats in the NBA All-Star Game

Tyler Herro and Julius Randle could not bring home the hardware in Saturday night’s Three-Point Shootout, but Randle and three other former Cats still get one more night in the spotlight. Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will take center stage at the NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. The action begins with a first ever All-Star Draft. Giannis and LeBron will begin picking their teams at approximately 7:30 pm EST on TNT.