The Kentucky Wildcats had opportunities earlier this month to claim quality victories in hostile arenas, building solid leads at LSU and at Auburn only to come up short.
There was no such stumbling Saturday night, as the No. 12 Wildcats traveled to famed Phog Allen Fieldhouse and blasted No. 5 Kansas 80-62. If it wasn't the most impressive performance of this college basketball season, it certainly was the most dominant half against elite opposition, as Kentucky roared to a 51-31 lead at intermission.
"We've been to some very tough environments against some ranked opponents on the road, and we didn't come out with the win," Wildcats junior forward Keion Brooks said on a Zoom call Saturday night after racking up 27 points in 29 minutes. "Whether people were getting hurt or not, we knew we weren't getting it done, and we knew we had an opportunity tonight.
"We were healthy. We wanted to see how good we were, and I think we made a statement."
Oscar Tshiebwe amassed 17 points and 14 rebounds, Kellan Grady canned four 3-pointers, and Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington combined on 13 assists in Kentucky's first win at Allen Fieldhouse since 1983, a triumph that also put the Southeastern Conference over the top in Saturday's Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Wildcats gave the SEC a 6-3 advantage, but No. 18 Tennessee couldn't give the league its first 7-3 conquest in the 10-game extravaganza, falling 52-51 at Texas.
The SEC got an expected win from Bruce Pearl's top-ranked Auburn Tigers, who downed unranked Oklahoma 86-68 in Auburn, but Kentucky's surprise blistering of Kansas was accompanied by Alabama's 87-78 topping of No. 4 Baylor in Tuscaloosa. Another key victory was turned in by Florida, which is competing without two frontcourt regulars and rallied from 13 down at halftime to eclipse visiting Oklahoma State 81-72.
Two of the SEC's not-so-stout showings were turned in by No. 19 LSU, which lost 77-68 at TCU, and by Mississippi State, which got demolished 76-50 at No. 13 Texas Tech.
"This Challenge matters," Pearl said Saturday afternoon on a Zoom call. "It matters on Selection Sunday. Being one of the top teams in the SEC and being at home, we just held serve."
The SEC improved to 31-28 against the Big 12 in the past six events but is still in a 48-41 hole overall due to the Big 12 racing out to a 20-10 lead during the first three years it was staged.
Alabama's downing of Baylor gives the frenetic Crimson Tide three wins over teams - Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston - from last season's Final Four. The Tide bounced back from Tuesday's loss at Georgia, which had previously been winless in SEC play, with coach Nate Oats stating after Saturday's rebound victory, "When we play really hard, we're one of the best teams in the country, and that's fun."
Tennessee Athletics photo / Tennessee players huddle during Saturday night's 52-51 loss at Texas. Despite the setback by the No. 18 Volunteers, the Southeastern Conference still won this year's Big 12/SEC Challenge by a 6-4 margin.Tennessee scored 16 straight points to turn a 51-35 deficit into a tie game, but Timmy Allen's free throw with 6.2 seconds remaining proved to be the difference for the Longhorns. The Volunteers had a chance to complete the rally, but Josiah-Jordan James missed a 3-pointer despite getting a fantastic look.
"It felt great," James said afterward in an interview provided by Tennessee. "I think it was the shot that we wanted. We take that shot 10 times out of 10, but I just didn't make it."
The Vols had plenty of chances to make up that lone point elsewhere, shooting 19-of-53 from the floor (35.8%) and 8-of-16 from the free-throw line (50.0%).
"I just don't understand why guys who we really count on won't shoot when they need to," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. "It puts everybody back on their heels."
The SEC returns to action Tuesday night with four head-to-head matchups, including Tennessee hosting Texas A&M (7 on SEC Network) and Auburn hosting Alabama (9 on ESPN2). Whether the 6-4 triumph in the latest Challenge will benefit the SEC remains to be seen, but Kentucky definitely served notice that the Wildcats vying at their very best will be tough to top.
"When we play as a team like this, I don't think anybody can stop us," Tshiebwe said. "When we have a full roster and a full team, it is dangerous."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.