There have been Southeastern Conference basketball seasons through the years in which Kentucky sweeping Tennessee didn’t raise many eyebrows.
This isn’t one of them.
A Volunteers team that has spent this winter in the top 10 was no match Saturday afternoon for a Wildcats squad that has resided on the NCAA tournament bubble, as Kentucky built a 20-point halftime lead before coasting to a 66-54 triumph inside Rupp Arena. Cason Wallace and Oscar Tshiebwe scored 16 points apiece to enable John Calipari’s Wildcats to claim both regular-season meetings against Tennessee for the first time in the eight years Rick Barnes has guided the Vols.
“It goes back to consistency and knowing what we’re going to get night in and night out,” Barnes said in a news conference after Tennessee’s first outing since Wednesday night’s 68-59 win over top-ranked Alabama. “I don’t understand it, to be quite honest with you. We played hard in the second half, but when you’re coming back, emotion starts to kick in, and you’ve got to make smart plays. They gave us some chances and opened the door for us.
“You can’t miss that many free throws.”