A Kentucky native buried the never-quit Cats with 37.6 seconds remaining, and 21,214 fans who packed Thompson-Boling Arena saw Tennessee’s second home win over a top-2 team.
The Volunteers built a 19-point lead with just over 14 minutes to play, but the Cats, led by freshman guard John Wall, stormed back to tie the game with 2:10 remaining.
Following a timeout by Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl at the 2:06 mark, the Volunteers went on a 9-0 run highlighted by a 3-pointer from Hopkinsville, Ky., native Scotty Hopson, and Knoxville, Tenn., was dancing to the tune of a 74-65 victory.
A physical affair in Knoxville, TN not only saw players limping around the court and grimacing in pain, but also UK head coach John Calipari. Calipari had to have a UK trainer attend to his hand in the first half after the coach hit his own clipboard at the first media timeout. Two band-aids were applied his right pointer finger and pinkie.
Both teams struggled shooting out of the gate, but once Tennessee got on the board at the 16:31 mark with a 3-pointer from senior forward J.P. Prince, the Volunteers couldn’t be stopped. When the run finished at the 11:22 mark with two free throws from freshman guard Wall, the Volunteers had rattled off 18-unanswered points.
The Cats cut the lead to eight points, but couldn’t get any closer for the remainder of the half, and the Volunteers entered the break holding on to an 11-point advantage at 40-29.
The Cats struggled from the field throughout the first half, shooting just 24.1 percent from the floor, and 1-for-11 from beyond the arc. A saving grace of sorts for the Cats was their ability to get to the free throw line. UK was 14-of-19 from the charity stripe.
After falling behind by a game-high 19 points at the 14:06 mark with the score at 54-35 off a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Cameron Tatum, the Cats stormed back.
UK rode the cape of John Wall in going on an 11-0 run to cut the lead to eight. Wall had seven points and an assist during the run and the Cats held Tennessee scoreless for over four-and-a-half minutes.
It wasn’t enough though, as Tennessee rallied in the final two minutes to get the win
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