Perhaps it will disappear from memory like so many other basketball skirmishes that don’t escalate into anything larger.
Or perhaps it will be a symbolic moment to Tennessee’s season.
With 12:41 remaining in this past Saturday night’s top-10 showdown between the Volunteers and Kentucky inside Rupp Arena, a heated exchange occurred between Tennessee’s 6-foot-8, 250-pound sophomore forward Tobe Awaka and 7-1, 226-pound freshman forward Aaron Bradshaw of the Wildcats. Each player was assessed a technical foul after being separated.
“We’ve kind of been challenging Tobe to be that enforcer that we know he can be,” Vols fifth-year senior guard Josiah-Jordan James said minutes after the game. “That play really set it off for us. He has our back, and if Tobe has your back, then you can win World War III with him on your side.
“It shows that we’re not going to back down from anybody.”