Kentucky was down 11 at halftime, but that was closer than it had been when the Vols were up 17 moments earlier. The offense was stagnant, the "Rocky Top" noise was deafening, and the Cats were getting beat up in the paint. It felt like every other slow start this season, only this time, it was against a Top 25 rival on the road. Could they really come back again?
When Mark Pope walked into the locker room, he didn't rewrite the game plan. He didn't flip the whiteboard. He didn't panic.
When asked what changed tactically in the second half to spark the 49-point explosion that led to the 80-78 win, Pope was blunt.
"Nothing, we kinda did the same thing," Pope told Tom Leach on the radio. "I actually thought we executed some stuff in the first half, we got beat up down low… Then we got stagnant."
He said Kentucky just "refused to lose." That is quickly becoming the trademark of this team. It wasn't about the scheme; it was about the soul of the players coming out on the court.
Stress filled moments bring out the best in Kentucky
For fans, these games are heart-stopping stressful. For Pope, they are a revelation. After watching his team claw back from double digits for the third straight game, he wasn't looking at the scoreboard as much as he was looking at the character of his roster.
"Yeah its been fun to see. Its actually the last 3 right, its been a lot of them," Pope said on the team's competitiveness after getting down big again. "We have had so many games like this. The happiest part for me is we are starting to get to see the insides of our guys…getting to see a little bit of their hearts."
It is easy to get caught up in analytics and efficiency ratings, but Pope reminded everyone postgame that basketball, especially this Kentucky basketball team, is about something more human.
"I'm telling you, when you are dealing with human beings its not math. Its artistic, its fun to watch these guys grow."
The "Steph Curry" of toughness
That artistry was on full display with Mouhamed Dioubate. He scored 10 points, but his impact went far beyond that. He grabbed 6 rebounds, 4 of them on the offensive glass, and he defended Nate Ament tough down the stretch.
Pope paid him perhaps the highest compliment a coach can give a grinder.
"Mo's toughness is a priceless gift," Pope said. "Its equivalent to Steph Curry having the greatest stroke in the world. In the sense that his toughness makes him special."
Aberdeen and Chandler spark the fire
While Dioubate brought the grit, Denzel Aberdeen and Collin Chandler brought the firepower.
Aberdeen was sensational, dropping a team-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting. When Tennessee tried to stifle the Cats' offense, Aberdeen was the one breaking the seal. "One of the things Tennessee does so well is stifle you… DA was unbelievable," Pope noted.
And then there was Chandler. The sophomore poured in 12 points, hitting 4-of-6 from deep, but it was his playmaking and defense that had Pope raving. He finished with 3 steals, including a massive one late in the game that gave Kentucky its first lead of the game.
"Collin was unbelievable, he threw a, choose your favorite quarterback pass a couple nights ago…one of the game-defining steals for sure," Pope said.
Confidence is earned
The Cats are now leaving Knoxville with a massive Quad 1 win and serious momentum heading into Wednesday. They took Tennessee's best shot, dealt with the early foul trouble of Denze Aberdeen by playing Jasper Johnson. Johnson (who Pope noted is "growing into the physicality of this game") scored 12 points on the road as a freshman in the SEC against a physical team when Otega Oweh was struggling.
"It is good fortune for us, which we will take right now," Pope said. "You earn your confidence through your work and your grit."
Kentucky earned every bit of it today in Knoxville.