KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Coming off perhaps their worst loss of the season, the Wildcats went down to Knoxville and put on a dominant display from start to finish against the No. 5 Volunteers on Saturday.

What You Need To Know

  • Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves scored 18 points and Oscar Tshiebwe had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the team to a 63-56 victory

  • The Wildcats (11-6, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) showed a physical presence and dominated the Volunteers (14-3, 4-1) on the boards, 43-23

  • C.J. Fredrick scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half as the Wildcats led by seven at halftime

  • At the midpoint of the season, Kentucky big man Tschiebwe leads the SEC with 10 double-doubles and Sahvir Wheeler leads the conference with 6.3 assists a game

Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves scored 18 points and Oscar Tshiebwe had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the team to a 63-56 victory over their Southeastern Conference archrival.

Kentucky led 58-50 with 3:28 left in the game. Two free throws by Santiago Vescovi and two buckets by Uros Plavsic closed the gap to two with less than a minute to play.

A Wildcat turnover gave Tennessee a shot to tie or take the lead, but Zakai Zeigler and Plavsic missed down low. Kentucky’s defense withstood the late-game surge, and the Cats were able to take the win with free throws.

The Wildcats (11-6, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) showed a physical presence and dominated the Volunteers (14-3, 4-1) on the boards, 43-23.

C.J. Fredrick scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half as the Wildcats led by seven at halftime.

The Tennessee big man Plavsic, who scored 19 points, was the only Vol to match Kentucky’s physicality. Vescovi scored 13.

Despite a respectable 11-6 record, the Cats have stumbled into SEC play by losing three of their first four conference games. The win over Tennessee gives Kentucky a crucial Quad 1 win, which is critical for their postseason prospects after losing to every ranked opponent so far this season.

Kentucky looked like a different team than the one that put on a disappointing performance in a loss to South Carolina at home on Tuesday. Fans were increasingly vocal and bold in their frustrations with coach John Calipari, as one fan was escorted out of the South Carolina game for displaying a sign urging Calipari to “Please go to Texas.” Texas is rumored to have contacted the Kentucky coach about its coaching vacancy. 

Calipari, in his 13th season with the Wildcats, was especially jubilant after the win, saying he was happy with what he saw from his team. “They did it for them. I’m saying, I’m happy for Dr. Capilouto, Mitch [Barnhart], Dr. Todd, the guys that brought me here. I’m happy for them. This has been, you know, it’s no easy road, but I’m like — look, I haven’t lost any faith in these guys,” he said in his postgame press conference. 

The team celebrated their first true road win of the season with cheers and a shower of water bottles in the locker room.

At the midpoint of the season, Kentucky big man Tshiebwe leads the SEC with 10 double-doubles and Sahvir Wheeler leads the conference with 6.3 assists a game. The Wildcats can string together a mid-season winning streak with conference games at home against Georgia and Texas A&M, and a road game against Vanderbilt before welcoming the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks to Rupp Arena.

But injuries may play a big factor in how the rest of the season plays out for the Cats. Cason Wallace and Jacob Toppin both returned to the starting lineup against the Vols, but Wheeler was sidelined the entire game due to a shoulder injury and Daimion Collins did not play due to unspecified reasons, per Calipari.

With Saturday’s game, Calipari coached his 36th game against Tennessee, a mark that no other coach in college basketball has reached.

UP NEXT

Kentucky: Hosts Georgia on Tuesday.

Tennessee: Visits Mississippi State on Tuesday.

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