Kentucky can’t come back, upset by Tennessee on road

The Kentucky Wildcats almost erased a sizable deficit against the Tennessee Volunteers, but didn’t have enough as the No. 4 team fell on the road

The Kentucky Wildcats had to have seen the Kansas Jayhawks fall early on Tuesday evening. As those two top-five ranked teams prepare for a showdown on Saturday, the upset of Kansas should’ve been a warning for John Calipari’s group. Instead, Kentucky went into Knoxville and took punches they weren’t ready for from the Tennessee Volunteers.

Without question, the usual suspects for the Wildcats made their presence felt. Bam Adebayo was huge on both ends of the floor on the interior while Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox both made big plays from the perimeter throughout. However, the Volunteers played solid defense throughout and forced the star guards to be a bit inefficient—Monk in particular. That was the case early, surely, and allowed Tennessee to take a five-point lead over Kentucky into halftime, much thanks to Robert Hubbs III’s offensive output.

As great as Hubbs was, though, the real star for the Vols throughout the night was forward Grant Williams. Looking like the college version of Draymond Green, there wasn’t one number in the box score that was overwhelming—but it was solid marks across the board. He scored, crashed the boards, made defensive plays, and made his presence felt throughout. That’s how the Vols were able to push ahead late in the second half.

Of course, a team with the talent and pedigree of Kentucky isn’t going down quietly. The Wildcats turned up the heat and started to inch closer to avoiding the upset. However, a few defensive lapses and Volunteers points as a result was ultimately too much for the Wildcats to handle as No. 4 Kentucky hit a late three to take an upset by two points when the outcome was already decided.

Three Stars

Robert Hubbs III, Tennessee – The senior guard for the Vols was absolutely magnificent in the big upset. He finished the night going for 25 points, seven rebounds and two assists while also shooting 9-of-14 from the floor.

Grant Williams, Tennessee – Williams wasn’t going to be outshined by Hubbs, though, as he absolutely filled the stat-sheet incredibly. The forward finished with 13 points, six boards, six assists, three steals and four blocks on the night. Talk about doing it all.

Bam Adebayo, Kentucky – While Malik Monk had 25 points, he was inefficient in doing so. Meanwhile, Adebayo was a monster for Kentucky as the star big man went 7-of-8 from the field and the foul line to finish with 21 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

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Highlights

Next Game

As stated earlier, there’s no rest even slightly for Kentucky as they have a huge matchup awaiting them on Saturday with Kansas coming to Rupp Arena. Tennessee gets a Big 12 matchup as well, though a less daunting one as they’ll remain in Knoxville to face Kansas State.