Updated SEC standings after cannibalizing continues, Kentucky takes down Tennessee
By Lior Lampert
No. 12 Kentucky put an emphatic end to a deflating two-game losing streak with an impressive road win over No. 8 Tennessee. The Wildcats took the lead early in the second half and never looked back en route to defeating the Volunteers 78-73.
Kentucky shot the lights out against Tennessee, making 50 percent of their field goals and threes. Conversely, the Vols couldn't buy a bucket, converting 34.7 and 24.4 percent of their attempts from the floor and beyond, respectively. Turnovers and second-chance opportunities kept the game close, though Kentucky ultimately prevailed.
Regardless of the margin of victory or how it was done, head coach Mark Pope and the Wildcats needed this triumph versus Tennessee. Kentucky had to stop the bleeding and regain momentum, which they did. Moreover, the result notably reshaped the conference standings, as seen below.
Updated SEC standings after Kentucky takes down Tennessee
Team | Conference Record | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|
Auburn | 6-0 | 18-1 |
Alabama | 6-1 | 17-3 |
Florida | 5-2 | 18-2 |
Missouri | 5-2 | 16-4 |
Mississippi State | 4-3 | 16-4 |
Vanderbilt | 4-3 | 16-4 |
Kentucky | 4-3 | 15-5 |
Texas A&M | 4-3 | 15-5 |
Ole Miss | 4-3 | 15-5 |
Tennessee | 4-4 | 17-4 |
Texas | 3-4 | 14-6 |
Georgia | 3-5 | 15-6 |
Oklahoma | 2-4 | 15-4 |
LSU | 1-5 | 12-7 |
Arkansas | 1-6 | 12-8 |
South Carolina | 0-8 | 10-11 |
The Wildcats improve to 15-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play after storming into Knoxville and beating a longtime rival. They were on life support due to a recent skid but are ostensibly revived following their takedown of Tennessee. Meanwhile, the same isn't true for the Volunteers, who continue to tumble down the SEC ranks.
Tennessee is now 17-4 on the season, and all four losses have come within the conference. They're undefeated whenever they don't have to face an SEC foe, and that's great, but the Vols' peers conceivably aren't intimated by them.
Georgia's exciting run in the AP Top 25 was short-lived, but they handled business against South Carolina to get back on track. The Bulldogs snapped a four-game drought and got back in the win column, marching to a 71-60 victory in Athens.
No conference is projected to send more teams to the 2025 NCAA tournament's field of 68 than the SEC. So, if Tennessee wants to establish itself as a legitimate title contender, it starts with Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Co. The message also applies to the Wildcats, who are still not near the top of the leaderboard, albeit a step in the right direction.
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