The denim was back, the 96 team was honored, and Kentucky and Tennessee were just in a fist fight tonight. There is no other way to describe it. Tennessee threw the first punch, burying 8 threes in the first half and building a 14-point lead that had Rupp Arena nervous. But like the game in Knoxville, never count out the Cats.
Kentucky’s rebounding was atrocious nearly all game. The free-throw shooting was even worse.
By all logic, they should have lost this game.
But in a rivalry like this, you throw out the stats and just look at the scoreboard. Making sure your team is just one point better than the opponents. And somehow, the Wildcats were.
In a game that had Rupp rocking, Kentucky clawed back to survive Tennessee, 74-71.
The sequence that saved the game
This game was decided in the final 50 seconds of absolute chaos. With Kentucky clinging to life, Otega Oweh got matched up with Nate Ament. Ament drove to the rim, and Brandon Garrison missed the help assignment, watching Ament glide in to give the Vols a 69-68 lead.
Mark Pope called a timeout. In fitting fashion, the play was kind of ugly but effective. Oweh got the ball on the wing and tried to drive it baseline. Tennessee crowded him with 3, and Oweh was able to find Mr. Clutch:
Collin Chandler.
Bang.
Chandler buried the three with 32 seconds left to put Kentucky up 71-69.
From there, it was a scramble for survival:
- The Stop: Oweh forced Ament into a tough turnaround. Miss.
- The Rebound: Malachi Moreno snagged it and got fouled. He hit the first to make it 72-69, but missed the second.
- The Gamble: Kentucky opted to foul J.P. Estrella (who was 1-of-5 from the line) instead of allowing Tennessee a chance to tie. Of course, he made both. 72-71.
- The Scramble: Kentucky got the ball to Chandler for a 1-and-1 to ice it. He looked nervous in the clutch for the first time in a while. Predictably, he missed the front end. It looked like a disaster waiting to happen.
- The Save: Out of nowhere, Mo Dioubate flew in for the rebound of the year. He got the ball to Denzel Aberdeen, who calmly sank two free throws to make it 74-71.
Tennessee got a look at a half-court heave, it was right online, but it banked off the backboard and harmlessly off the front of the rim.
Exhale, BBN. They've done it again.
We gotta be honest though: Kentucky tried to give this one away. Tennessee grabbed 19 offensive rebounds. Nineteen! They outrebounded Kentucky 46-31 overall, but it was worse at one time, with the Cats down nearly 20 on the glass.
The Cats shot just 59% from the line and 26% from three.
On almost any other night, those numbers equal a blowout loss. But tonight was about heart. It was about Oweh refusing to let them lose, and Dioubate doing the dirty work when it mattered most.
Kentucky is .5 a game back from Florida who destroyed Texas A&M tonight. The two teams will play for first place next weekend.