When Kentucky Basketball stormed back from down 18 points against LSU back on January 14th, there were feelings of excitement and relief. Excitement for Malachi Moreno swishing a buzzer-beater, off a great full-court pass from Collin Chandler, for the win, but also relief that the Wildcats won after being down 18 points against an LSU team that’s not good.
Shortly after the game, though, a feeling of dread set in. If Kentucky fell behind by 18 against LSU, what in the world was going to happen against the ultra-physical Tennessee Volunteers three days later… in Knoxville, where the Vols are tough to beat?
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Sure enough, on January 17th in Knoxville, the Vols raced out to a big lead in the first half. It felt like the game was slipping away early and that the Wildcats just weren’t going to be able to compete with the top teams in the SEC.
Kentucky, however, kept scratching and clawing. That’s what the Wildcats did in Knoxville and in Lexington this past Saturday to beat Tennessee twice in three weeks.
Despite falling behind by as many as 17 points in Knoxville and 14 points in Lexington, the Wildcats made plays that may have been small in real time, but they added up to big impacts in the Wildcats’ knocking out the Vols in both regular-season games this season.
Jan. 17 at Tennessee: Kentucky wins 80-78 (Trailed 41-24 with 3:25 remaining in the first half)
This game started with Denzel Aberdeen picking up two fouls in the first 2:08. That wasn’t a great way to get the game started, especially when Bishop Boswell’s three-pointer gave Tennessee a 7-2 lead. With Kentucky already reeling and Thompson-Boling Arena already raising the decibel level, Jasper Johnson made a three-pointer on Kentucky’s ensuing possession. Exactly one minute later, Andrija Jelavic made a three-pointer to pull the Wildcats within 9-8. Shots were falling early. It was something I kept saying to colleagues of the Kentucky beat around me on press row throughout the first half. The shots falling would keep Kentucky in the game.
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Tennessee was relentless in the first half on both ends of the floor. They shot 45.2 percent from the floor and 6-13 from three-point range. They out-rebounded Kentucky 20-12, including 8-1 on the offensive glass. Jaylen Carey, who was having his way with Malachi Moreno in the paint, had four of those offensive rebounds. Dan Shulman said on the ESPN broadcast that “Between injuries, Tennessee’s three-point shooting, and turnovers, the Wildcats are up against it early today.” They were, but again, they kept scratching and clawing.
With Tennessee leading 20-8 just over seven-and-a-half minutes into the game, Collin Chandler missed a three-pointer for Kentucky. Disaster was looming. Tennessee’s Troy Henderson then missed a three-pointer, and Kentucky answered on the ensuing possession with a Johnson three on a fast break. Chandler would make a three on the next Wildcats’ possession, and a Johnson layup just over 30 seconds later had the Wildcats down just six at 22-16. An 8-2 run in less than 90 seconds avoided disaster for the Wildcats and kept them in the game. Shots were falling. Keep that in mind.
Even though the Wildcats went from 10:12 to 2:40 in the first half without a field goal, the Vols scored just four points in the final 5:40 of the first half, partially overlapping Kentucky’s field goal drought. With less than 2:30 remaining in the first half, and Kentucky trailing 41-26, Carey missed a layup and then missed several chances to earn second-chance points.
Johnson got the defensive rebound for Kentucky and started a fast break, leading to a Chandler three that cut the deficit to 41-29. It could have been 43-26. Instead, it was 41-29. By shooting 43.5 percent in the first half, including 5-14 from three-point range, Kentucky was still in the game, down 42-31 at halftime. They had cut into the deficit.
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After picking up two fouls in the first 2:08 of the first half, Aberdeen started the second half by making two threes in the first 2:19. Kentucky was now within single digits. It was game on. Tennessee twice went up seven midway through the second half. Both times, Kentucky answered with three-pointers by Chandler and Johnson, respectively. Kentucky could have folded. They didn’t.
With less than eight minutes remaining, Oweh made a three-pointer to shrink the deficit to just 65-62. Even after Felix Okpara had a second-chance dunk on the ensuing possession, the Wildcats punched right back. Malachi Moreno’s and-one with 7:24 remaining was when I said to beat writers/reporters around me, “Kentucky is winning this game.” Sometimes you just know.
All of these small plays and responses led to Chandler’s steal and assist to Oweh on the game-winner with 34 seconds remaining. Oweh missed the and-one free-throw, but Mouhamed Dioubate grabbed the offensive rebound. Kentucky took 17 seconds of the clock before Denzel Aberdeen’s teardrop shot extended Kentucky’s lead to 80-77. Knockout delivered. Kentucky wins again in Knoxville. The Cardiac Cats became official on that afternoon.
Talk about a turn of events in the second half. Kentucky out-rebounded Tennessee 17-16, including 13-8 on the offensive glass. The Wildcats shot 50 percent from the floor and 6-10 from three-point range. They only had one turnover, which came on the first possession. Tennessee had 14 fewer shots attempted than Kentucky in the second half, as Kentucky outscored Tennessee 49-36.
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Feb. 7 in Lexington: Kentucky wins 74-71 (Trailed 47-33 at halftime)
The second game between these two teams was extremely physical. There were bodies flying all over the floor, sometimes literally on the floor. Even as Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament combined for 33 points and 8-14 from three-point range, Kentucky’s hustle kept them in the game.
Jelavic had a steal with just over nine minutes remaining. While re-watching the game, I made a note to myself that it’s those little plays that add up. Kentucky didn’t score off it, but neither did Tennessee.
Otega Oweh is a leader in the purest sense. Leaders just keep coming, and that’s what Oweh did in the first half. First off, his bucket on Kentucky’s first possession of the game set the tone. He was in attack mode from the opening tip. Later in the first half, Oweh made three straight buckets to answer three buckets by Tennessee when they could have pulled away. Tennessee made four straight shots, with three three-pointers. That could have been devastating for the Wildcats. It wasn’t.
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With 3:35 remaining in the first half, Chandler made his first three-pointer. It came off an offensive rebound by Jelavic, who passed to Aberdeen to save the ball from going out of bounds. Aberdeen assisted Chandler on the three. On the next play, just before the media timeout, Tennessee’s star freshman Nate Ament lost the ball, and Trent Noah corralled it for Kentucky and got fouled. He made both free throws. Hustle turned into two crucial points. In a three-point game, that absolutely stands out.
Less than two minutes later, Ament made a ridiculous and-one. Earlier this season, that maybe would have been game over for Kentucky. Now, though? Not for this Kentucky team. In the second half, they would punch back in a complete flipping of events.
Like in the first game against Tennessee, Kentucky shot well enough in the first half to stay in the game. Rebounding went, expectedly, Tennessee’s way, but the Wildcats were still in it. Then, they made defensive adjustments.
Tennessee shot 53.1 percent in the first half and 8-15 from three-point range. In the second half, they were 6-30 from the field and 0-6 from three-point range. Gillespie and Ament combined for just 11 points in the second half, only a third of their combined total in the first half. A remarkable display of defensive guarding by Kentucky.
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The first play of the second half for Kentucky, like the first half, set the tone. Oweh drove into the paint for a dunk. He was in attack mode, and so too were his teammates. Chandler was open for a three-pointer after a steal, just over two minutes into the second half. He could have taken it, but he passed inside to a cutting Jelavic for a higher-percentage shot. Jelavic dunked it in. The lead was down to nine points. Chandler would make a three-pointer less than 90 seconds later to stop a 4-0 Tennessee run to cut the deficit to 54-44.
Still down 10 two minutes later, Mouhamed Dioubate scored two straight buckets to cut the deficit to 57-51. It was part of a 5:35 stretch where Tennessee didn’t score, and the Wildcats got to within 57-55. Rupp Arena was rocking, and Tennessee was suddenly reeling.
Even after Tennessee reclaimed the lead after Kentucky got in front, the Wildcats held Tennessee scoreless for another 2:52. That got the clock from 5:23 to 2:31. Those things add up.
Chandler’s three is the stuff of legend. The pass by Oweh was pure, and the shot was even purer. Dioubate’s offensive rebound and the awareness to get the ball to Aberdeen is just such a smart play. Teammates picking each other up. That competitive spirit we kept hearing about all summer—it has been in spades over the last nine games.
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Kentucky pulled off two incredible comebacks against Tennessee this regular season. They may have to face Tennessee again in the SEC Tournament and/or the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have proven they’re never out of it, even against an ultra-physical and, perhaps, more talented Volunteers team. This team will keep scratching and clawing, and that allows them to deliver knockouts like they have five times in the last nine games, with an 8-1 record to be squarely in contention for the SEC regular-season title.
