KNOXVILLE – It wasn’t a lack of effort that doomed the Tennessee Volunteers in their latest Southeastern Conference basketball matchup with rival Kentucky.
It was more like a lack of talent.
Tennessee played the way it needed to Saturday afternoon to be competitive with the 15th-ranked Wildcats. The Vols hustled to loose balls, grabbing five more offensive rebounds than the visitors. They outscored Kentucky 19-8 in second-chance points. They turned the ball over only eight times, just two more than their season best.
Yet it was the Wildcats who came out on top 77-64 in front of 21,232 at Thompson-Boling Arena, despite the best efforts of Tennessee – both the team and the crowd, whose volume hit massive decibels at times. The loudest moment might have been when freshman guard Santiago Vescovi, after scrambling to get a loose ball, hit a 3-pointer from 30 feet with the shot clock winding down and cut Kentucky’s lead to 51-47 with 9:16 to play.
Tennessee (13-10, 5-5) defended the way it wanted to for much of the game, but even when the Vols shut down possessions, Kentucky guards Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey and Immanuel Quickley found ways to penetrate and score back-breaking baskets. When the Vols got Kentucky’s big men in foul trouble – junior John Fulkerson drew 10 fouls on the Wildcats in the first half alone – freshman reserve Johnny Juzang came off the bench and made all six of his shots (four field goals – three of them 3-pointers – and two free throws) for 13 points.