Photo via SEC
Kentucky extended its winning streak to three by telling Tennessee to bite the sidewalk and then stomp on their faces for 40 minutes. The Wildcats have now won two consecutive games at Thompson-Boling after beating Tennessee 70-55, their first win over a top 25 team this season.
Tennessee couldn’t do anything to slow down Kentucky in the first half. Davion Mintz was not shy, moving up from three in the transition without hesitation, hitting the bottom of the net. He made his first five three-point tries, while Isaiah Jackson abused the Vols inside. He had 13 points, a few blocked shots and a thunderous blow before the break.
Excellent as the attack was in the first half, Kentucky struggled to shoot after half time. The easy transition bins went away when UK made only 4/23 shots through the under-four media timeout, but still led 20 points thanks to whistles putting Kentucky on the free-throw line. The Wildcats proved that they are, in fact, free, by pumping 17 of the 20 to keep the Vols at bay.
The Kentucky defense deserves a lot of credit for today’s victory. Tennessee had averaged more than 82 points in the past four games. On Saturday afternoon, the Vols made only 32.1% of their shots, including 6-of-22 from behind the three-point line.
The Big Blue Nation wondered if this team would ever turn a corner. As usual, the Wildcats do their thing just in time for the postseason.