No. 15 Kentucky secured its second win over No. 5 Tennessee this season with a 75-64 upset victory over the Volunteers at Rupp Arena on Tuesday.
Kentucky won the first matchup against Tennessee in Knoxville last month without star guard Lamont Butler in the lineup and knocked off another top-five opponent without key reinforcements. Butler missed Kentucky’s previous three games with a shoulder injury before returning last weekend during its 80-57 win over South Carolina.
Butler left the game Tuesday with 8:40 remaining in the second half after diving for a loose ball. Butler was shown walking to the locker room and did not return.
Kentucky was without star guard Jaxson Robinson against Tennessee due to a wrist injury, meaning coach Mark Pope had to go to his bench for a spark. Freshman guard Travis Perry — Pope’s highest-ranked high school signee from the 2024 recruiting cycle – came off the bench and scored eight points in 12 minutes.
Perry was one of five Kentucky players who scored at least eight points. Star guard Otega Oweh scored a team-high 13 points, while forward Ansley Almonor added 13.Tennessee entered the week with the No. 1 ranked 3-point defense in the country, allowing opponents to make just 26.6% of their attempts. Kentucky shot 12 of 24 against Tennessee, with Trent Noah and Koby Brea each knocking down three 3-pointers.
The Wildcats had lost four of their last six games before the win over the Volunteers. Following its win over Tennessee last month in Knoxville, Kentucky lost its next game against Arkansas in John Calipair’s return to Rupp Arena.
Kentucky (17-7, 6-5 SEC) face Texas in Austin and Tennessee (20-5, 7-5) plays host to Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Loss moves Vols to a No. 2 seed in Bracketology
The loss by Tennessee is costly for the Volunteers. Tennessee was a No. 1 seed enerting the game, but will slip to a No. 2 seed, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm. The Vols’ loss, along with Florida’s win at Mississippi State, wil allow the Gators to jump to a No 1 seed and wil be the third No. 1 seed ahead of Duke, Palm said.
Kentucky wil remain a No. 5 seed, according to Palm The next few weeks will decide who wins the SEC regular-season title, but Tennessee losing to Kentucky twice hurts its chances of winning the regular-season league title.
Alabama and Auburn entered the day tied atop the SEC standings, and this weekend’s clash could go a long way toward determining who wins the conference and (potentially) who will earn the No. 1 overall seed in less than five weeks on Selection Sunday. Kentucky’s win over Tennessee should be a nice résumé booster the committee will look at next month.
Wildcats needed this win over Tennessee
The last time Kentucky played Tennessee, the Wildcats were without star guard Lamont Butler. With 8:40 remaining in the second half, Butler exited the game after he appeared to reaggravate the shoulder injury that sidelined him for three games. At the time of the injury, Kentucky was clinging to a 54-52 lead over Tennessee and closed the game on a 21-12 run.
The Wildcats have struggled during the last few weeks, and this win can serve as a huge momentum changer for the remainder of the season. Kentucky was in danger of getting off to its worst start in SEC play since the 2020-21 campaign, but a gritty win over a tough Tennessee team should help the Wildcats get back on track after dropping four of their last six games.
Kentucky’s 3-point shooting was the difference
In Kentucky’s first matchup against Tennessee, Pope’s team knocked down 12 of 24 attempts (50%) from the 3-point line against the best team in the country at defending shots from beyond the arc. In the rematch, Kentucky shot … you guessed it … 12 of 24 from the 3-point line while holding Tennessee to just 3 of 18 (16.7%) from beyond the arc. Tennessee’s poor 3-point shooting was a theme in the first matchup, too. Rick Barnes’ squad made just 11-of-45 attempts from the 3-point line. Six different Kentucky players hit a 3-pointer. That was the difference.
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