Tony Basilio was on a heater after the Vols had their hearts broken by Kentucky, again. During the game, on his YouTube show, he was discussing the ending, and he didn't hold back.
He called Collin Chandler "white lightning with the frosted tips" and said that he looked like a "reject out of a 70's TV show."
Basilio reacted classically: "You've got to be kidding me." He couldn't believe Tennessee was going to lose to this "Bambi-looking clown" again. Bambi being Mark Pope.
But he was just getting started.
Tony Basilio was furious at everyone for losing to 'mid' Kentucky team
After coming to grips with another loss, Basilio said that "Kentucky is not very good, but twice in a row, we've let kind of a mid Kentucky team beat us."
He went on:
"That is a disgusting, gross, grotesque, horrendous... Rick Barnes has had a lot of great nights here... tonight ain't the night...Total team meltdown, including the head coach and the staff. That's what you come up with out of timeouts? Bambi over there came up with good stuff out of timeouts... That is a mid Kentucky team, that's what they are... And we've done it twice in a row."
I mean if you let a "mid" team beat you twice, what does that make you? I can tell you, 0-2 against Kentucky this year.
Wait, there's more
But like an infomercial, there's more. One of the guys on the show chimed in: "Punch that Chandler guy in the face." Basilio told him they couldn't do that, but that Kentucky should be happy with their "scrappy little team...and they're not very good."
But they're better than Tennessee.
He went on to say that if he saw Jimmy Dykes in public this week, he would be tempted to kick him, claiming Dykes' loyalties lie with the Cats because he was on the staff there.
I mean, all you can do is laugh, or cry if you're a Tennessee fan. But you were probably already doing that before now, if that's the case.
Rick Barnes caused a Super Bowl sized meltdown
Then came the epic rant about Rick Barnes saying he could "live with" the loss:
"Our head coach just said he can live. I'm glad he can live with it because I sure can't... What kind of a comment is that from him?"
He said the game was over the moment he saw Nate Ament taped up. "Help us if J.P. Estrella gets anything close to a touch-in because that (expletive) not going in...That was rough."
Then he turned his anger toward BBN:
"And for the Kentucky fan, you've got to understand something. Y'all suck. I mean, y'all went down there and got trashed in the Music City(Vanderbilt)... Maybe we're just a terrible matchup with them... They led for 5 minutes, 2 games. I don't think it's a bad matchup for us. I mean, Tennessee's got 2 players that can score, and that's it."
Going after Matt Jones
He saved his weirdest venom for Matt Jones, knowing Matt was listening (or would be).
"I want to direct this to Matt Jones... I'll promise you when I see him the next time, I'll absolutely stomp his damn guts out."
He called KSR's postgame show "awful" and "boring," claiming Matt has "no passion."
Then he dropped this incredible line:
"I got (expletive), man. I roll my sleeves up. I go to work, brah. I'm the son of a mushroom farmer, brah. I grew up getting dirty, Matt, brah. I didn't go to Duke, brah."
The @TonyBasilio show is hilarious right now…Tony is talking about Tennessee players not getting “halo violation” calls, whining about how bad UK is and then saying he might kick Jimmy Dykes in the crotch
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) February 8, 2026
He ended by calling the fans calling his phone "mouth breathers" and trying to cope with the loss:
"Kentucky, I don't blame you for celebrating because truly this is probably going to be the high point of your season... You're going to lose a bunch of games and finish in the middle of the league somewhere, which is where your roster kind of belongs."
Whatever you say, Tony.
It's always fun to read an opposing fanbase crashing out after losing to Kentucky; it's even better when it is the media.