John Calipari will have a rolled up program in his hands the rest of the season as a tribute to Joe B. Hall. (UK Athletics Photo)
Kentucky crushed its oldest rival in a performance late Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall would have enjoyed witnessing as a fan or a coach. On a day when the Wildcats were mourning the loss of their beloved coach, who died Saturday at the age of 93, the Wildcats defeated their oldest rival Tennessee, 107-79 in a game reminiscent of the many lopsided losses Hall handed the Volunteers during his 13 seasons as coach of the Wildcats from 1972-95.
“It was a game we wanted to win,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “… I told (Tennessee coach Rick Barnes) we don’t play much better than we just played.”
The school honored the late coach with a video tribute and a moment of silence prior to tipoff as Calipari watched from the sidelines with a rolled-up program, a trademark of Hall’s during his coaching career.
“This was a celebration for coach Hall,” Calipari said.
Calipari plans to honor Hall for the rest of the season by coaching with a rolled-up program, a staple for Hall during his tenure with the Wildcats. Calipari also sprinkled in a 1-3-1 defense on the team’s first defensive possession, which Hall favored on defense. Calipari may tote the rolled-up program for the rest of the season but likely won’t employ the 1-3-1 scheme.
Sahvir Wheeler, making his return after missing the previous two games from a strained neck, said the Wildcats wanted to win the game in honor of the school’s longtime coach.
“That energy, that spirit in the air (was here) knowing that we were going to do something special for a great coach who was here, accomplished really big things, and also won a national championship here as well,” Wheeler said.
Tennessee had defeated Kentucky in its previous two games at Rupp Arena, but was no match as the Wildcats extended their winning streak to four games and remained undefeated at home (12-0) this season, giving Calipari his 200th home victory at Kentucky in front of the largest home crowd in two years.
“This is who we are,” Calipari said. “This is how we coach and this is us. This is what it’s about and I want these kids to experience this and this is why you come here.”
TyTy Washington continued his impressive play against conference foes and led the Wildcats with 28 points, Washington made 10 of 13 shots from the field and added five assists. Washington made a case to win league Freshman of the Week honors for the fourth time when accolades are handed out Monday.
Wheeler followed Washington with 21 points and eight assists, Kellan Grady had 16 points and Davion Mintz came off the bench to score 10 points as four players tallied double figures. Oscar Tshiebwe just missed double figures with nine points and 12 rebounds.
Tennessee, one of the top defensive teams in the conference, couldn’t stop the Wildcats, who turned in their best shooting performance of the year. Kentucky shot 68 percent from the field and connected on 11 shots from long range, led by Grady, who made four 3-pointers in the easier-than-expected victory.
“We keep playing like this, we’re not going to be having too many more (losses) for the rest of the year,” Wheeler said. “We played a great game against a great opponent.”
Gametracker: Kentucky at Texas A&M, Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. TV/Radio: SEC Network, UK Radio Network.
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Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at Keith.taylor@kentuckytodaycom and via twitter at keithtaylor21.
6 Responses
Whew that game was one fun game to watch. This team is getting better and better and the sky is the limited what they can do. Our cats may become a dangerous team by tournament time.
79, it was a fun game to watch. I can’t remember us giving TN a bigger beating. Now, can we do that at A&M, Auburn, and Kansas? If we can, then that will be a good barometer for tournament time.
My concerns are 3. 1. We shot 68% for the game and 61% from threes. How many times will we do that again? 2. TN shot 53% from the field and 47% from the arc and scored 79 points, enough to win most games this time of year. 3. Oscar was a forgotten asset. We can’t leave Oscar out of the offense and expect to go far.
I hope Calipari orders a truckload of whatever he gave them before the game…and keeps giving it to them.
No team can be defined by its best or worst performances. Teams are defined by their average level of performance over time.
It does not get much better than what we witnessed yesterday, and against Tennessee this year or any year, it is most welcomed timing.
This team started the season poorly, culminating in a poor performance and loss at Notre Dame. However, since that game, this team’s level of performance has been consistently high, and their average level of performance has been steadily rising. After Notre Dame, their average was probably not sufficient to earn an NCAA at large bid, but as of today, their average has risen to a level sufficient to justify a 3 seed at worse and probably a 2 seed. If this rise continues, I believe this team could still earn a coveted one seed by Selection Sunday.
Just a few weeks ago, my vision for this team was dismal. Today, it is brighter. It is not due to yesterday, at least not alone. It is due to the last 8 games in which this team has consistently played at championship levels in 5 of those 8 games. I don’t know whether this team will continue to play at that level, but I believe it can.
This team has developed into Calipari’s best team since 2015, and his 3rd best team at UK, behind only 2015 and 2012.
The real season has now started. From this point to the end, the challenges come at this team in rapid-fire, not just the next 2 weeks, but the next 6 weeks.
Buckle up and enjoy the ride. I know I will because this is the type of play that a UK basketball team should provide every year, from the start to the finish line.
Keep the faith Professor
More faith now than in a few years.
I call them as I see them, good bad or indiffferent.
Big time win, I loved it. Great to beat the big ugly orange in such a way.
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