UK Athletics Photo
Remember when Kentucky was only 1-3 in Southeastern Conference play and looked like it was headed nowhere or even just a week ago when the Cats lost back to back SEC games to Arkansas (at Rupp Arena) and Georgia.
Forgive me for having trouble thinking about that today after watching UK gut out a must-win victory at Mississippi State and then roll to a 20-point halftime lead over Tennessee Saturday before winning 66-54.
Yes, that’s the same Tennessee team that beat No. 1 Alabama on Wednesday and was projected as either a No. 2 or No. 3 seed going into the game and had been mentioned as a Final Four team all season. Now UK has swept the Vols in a regular season series and won both games by seven or more points for the first time in 14 years.
After the win at Mississippi State Wednesday, Kentucky coach John Calipari said no one wanted to face his team in the NCAA Tournament — and today I’ll admit he might be right if this team keeps trending the way it has the last two games.
Kentucky is 8-3 in its last 11 games since losing to lowly South Carolina in Rupp Arena in one of the most disappointing losses in the Calipari era. But UK has beat top 10 Tennessee twice — the first time an unranked UK has beat a top 10 team twice in the same regular season — and now clearly controls its postseason path.
The Cats have improved enough on defense to show that defensive-minded teams like Mississippi State and Tennessee — one of the nation’s best defensive teams — might not be able to handle the Cats.
“The Kentucky defense is stifling. They have great length at all positions. They are really good,” CBS TV studio analyst Jay Wright, the former Villanova coach who won national championships, said during the game.
“Kentucky has really stepped it up defensively recently,” CBS game analyst Bill Rafferty said.
Tennessee had just 19 points in the first half when it went 7-for-27 from the field overall and 1-for-13 from 3-point range. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said that impacted the way UK played defense and let Kentucky build a 20-point lead. The second half the Vols went 15-for-32 from the field but that was mainly because Sergio Vescovi went on for 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
“That put us in a position where we had to show who we are and we did,” Calipari said about Tennessee’s second half play that challenged the Cats.
Calipari insisted he didn’t even know his team was ahead by 20 points at halftime.
“I didn’t know the score until I went in and they gave me a stat sheet,” Calipari said on the UK Radio Network. “I didn’t look up (at the scoreboard). I knew we were playing well. I am trying to get them (UK players) in that mode.”
He did get upset when his staff mentioned that Tennessee had come from 17 down to beat Missouri and also from 16 points down to win another game.
“Why tell me? You put it in my mind,” Calipari told Tom Leach after the game. “When we started the second half with three turnovers, I looked at my staff and said why would you even say that stuff?”
Tennessee did get the lead cut to eight points but Kentucky would just not wilt and Calipari liked that fight a lot.
“We have a bunch of guys playing for each other and doing what the team needs to win,” Calipari said.
7 Responses
Ok…good, glad to be first to say I was as wrong as wrong could be about this game and glad to be wrong.. this UK team that played today can play with anyone. So glad to at crow.
Don’t worry. You are not alone
Eat
Grant, it’s ok we all say stuff it’s part of it.
This was a good win. Not its best of the year, but probably 2nd best.
however, this team has 3 upset wins (2 over tennessee) and 2 upset losses. It is a #40 team. The season long performance defines this team, not any single game, win or lose.
5 upset outcomes out of 27 games is an upset rate slightly below 20% and the average college basketball upset rate is slightly over 25%.
It is what it is. This is still not a team that is likely to survive the first weekend, and could fall in the first round again.
Really good win and not to take away from it, but they have to learn to do it like this every game; not just when their backs are against the wall. Good teams play hard nosed defense every time on the floor. Offense comes and goes but you carry your defense with you.
Livingston is making a huge difference and this is allowing less pressure on Toppin and Oscar. When you can’t leave anyone, it opens up everyone together to their spots.
Tennessee is hard to figure out this year. They handily beat Kansas, Texas, and Alabama, but self implode against us…twice. I don’t understand why Plavic didn’t start…he wore Oscar out in Knoxville, but did nothing today. We played a decent game and secured another quad 1 win, but today was more about Tennessee losing than Kentucky winning. We should catch a break in Gainesville with Castleton out and Auburn seems to be flaming out. Robbins had a big game for Vandy and will be playing with house money when they come to Lexington. The game in Fayetteville looms large. I am still not sold on this team or Calipari. We beat teams we are underdogs to and get beat by teams that we should not lose to. Kudos to the Cats and Calipari for winning a must win game, but all of them are must wins now.