Kentucky has now beaten Tennessee in 5 of the last 6 games. Read that again. Yes, the Vols got the one in the Sweet 16 last year when Kentucky was hobbled. We will give them that. But outside of that one game? Mark Pope has absolutely owned the Orange.
And yet, they still chirp like they are some unstoppable juggernaut. They still have never been to a Final Four. Yet if you listen to the fan base, they are some mystical force. And after getting swept by the Cats in the regular season on Saturday, Tennessee guard Bishop Boswell dropped one of the most delusional takes you will ever see.
The quote that no one in Kentucky can believe
Speaking to the media after the loss, Boswell tried to rationalize what happened.
"I think the most frustrating thing is we know we're a better team than them," Boswell said. "And we haven't put 40 minutes of basketball together against them."
I’m sorry, what? You know you are the better team? Buddy, you just lost to them twice, including on your home court. In your house. In our house. Didn't matter. When a team beats you two straight times in the same season, you forfeit the right to say you are "better." That’s not how sports work. The scoreboard is the only truth teller we have, and it says Kentucky is better.
The delusion
Maybe all those hits to the head he takes when violating the halo rule have clouded his thinking. But this seems to be a theme in Knoxville right now.
From the radio hosts crashing out and calling Kentucky "mid," to the players claiming they are actually superior despite the losses, there is a serious disconnect from reality going on down there.
I may not be able to tell you what is happening, but I can tell you what isn't going on in Knoxville: A win over Kentucky.
Keep talking though, Bishop. We will keep winning.