No. 15 Kentucky men’s basketball rallied around its injured players to defeat No. 5 Tennessee 75-64, completing a regular-season sweep of the Volunteers.
Wildcat freshmen shined particularly bright in the contest with Trent Noah and Travis Perry combining for 19 points in what was arguably both players’ best game of the season.
Kentucky entered the contest on the back of a “get-right” win over South Carolina, dismantling the Gamecocks 80-57. Looking to keep things going in the right direction, UK marched out a starting lineup of Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler, Koby Brea, Ansley Almonor and Amari Williams. The Cats were forced to enter the game without Jaxson Robinson, who was ruled out with a wrist injury.
The Cats got off to a hot start, jumping ahead 6-0 before a scoring drought allowed the Vols to get back within one.
UK fans in attendance were quick to see the likes of Noah, Perry, Andrew Carr, Brandon Garrison and, eventually, Collin Chandler.
As the Vols picked up where they left off in Knoxville with poor 3-point shooting, Kentucky held a solid lead for much of the first half, standing at 27-23 with under four minutes left in the first half.
At halftime, some tough deep balls from Noah saw the Cats lead 35-26, but this would later be amended to 33-26 after a goaltend call against the Vols was rescinded.
Back out for the second half, Kentucky led by seven with 43 points scored and its freshmen, Noah and Perry, continued to impress with strong scoring plays.
Before long, however, disaster would strike for Kentucky as the Vols inched closer and eventually tied the game after Butler was forced to exit with an injury to his same nagging shoulder.
Tennessee would briefly regain the lead as the Cats struggled offensively without Butler, but a Brea 3-pointer put UK back ahead with just under four minutes to play.
Even without Butler on the floor, the Wildcats continued to rally for their point guard, with stars, some unlikely heroes and some reliable names, continuing to step up and make big plays when Kentucky needed them most.
With that pattern continuing until the final buzzer, the Wildcats were able to secure their second straight victory after a disappointing lull in conference play.
Up next, Kentucky will hit the road on Saturday, Feb. 15, for its first SEC date with the Texas Longhorns. Tipoff against one of two new SEC outfits is set for 8 p.m. ET from the Moody Center in Austin. It will air live on ESPN.
