Hoosiers Now Publisher Tom Brew and Video Director Haley Jordan Recap Indiana’s Loss to Wisconsin
Tennessee’s 29-point loss at Kentucky a month ago was a turning point in the Vols’ season. Tennessee had won seven of its last eight games entering Tuesday night’s rematch with the fourth-ranked Wildcats.
But there was still something missing, a ‘wait-and-see’ approach as the Vols’ production increased. Tennessee buried any doubts and avenged its loss in Lexington, defeating its border rival, 76-63, Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
“This game was a statement,” Tennessee freshman Jonas Aidoo said.
“This game was personal, honestly,” Tennessee point guard Kennedy Chandler said. “We came to Lexington and didn’t play our best and I felt like Kentucky thought that’s the team that we were, but we knew we were more capable of being a better team than when we played down there. I feel like they took us for granted, honestly.”
Despite the double-digit victory, Tennessee got off to a slow start as Kentucky scored on its first five possessions, opening up a 8-2 and then 10-5 lead.
The Vols settled in and found a rhythm, leading us to a major turning point in the game. John Fulkerson flew into the Kentucky bench saving a loose ball off a Wildcat and out of bounds. As Fulkerson’s teammates began to help him up, a scuffle started between the two teams.
Kentucky’s strength coach and UT point guard Zakai Zeigler earned technical fouls for pushing and talking to each other.
“Things like that pump us up,” Chandler said. “Like LSU, what happened at home here. It pumps us up. They gave us great energy and let us know that they’re not going to punk us.”
The sequence certainly pumped Chandler up. The five-star freshman scored eight straight points for Tennessee including a pair of deep threes that forced John Calipari to burn his first timeout and talk about it.
The 8-0 Chandler run sparked a 17-1 Tennessee run as the Vols opened a double-digit lead that Kentucky would never cut to less than eight points.
Tennessee’s defense found another gear, holding Kentucky without a basket for 10:55. The Vols held Kentucky to 63 points — its third smallest output of the season — on 36.7% shooting — its second lowest output of the season.
“Defensively, I thought we were so much better getting off their screens,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “They’re a really good, sound, fundamental team in terms of screening and what they do. We did just a so much better job of not giving up separation on some of their actions.”
“They got way too easy of shots,” Chandler said of the first game. “Especially my defense wasn’t great that game. … The guards, I think, combined for 48 points in the Lexington game between TyTy (Washington), (Sahvir) Wheeler and (Kellen) Grady. We gave them too many great shots and open shots. We came in knowing that we have to defend them because all three of them are great scorers. We knew we had to stop them on the defensive end and that’s what we did.”
In round two, Kentucky’s backcourt trio combined for 18 points. In Knoxville, it was Tennessee’s backcourt trio that stole the show.
Chandler, Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler combined for 49 points— outdoing Kentucky’s trio from game one and taking control of Tuesday’s game in the first half.
Chandler and Vescovi were dominant in the first half. The freshman scored a team-high 15 points and the Uruguay native wasn’t far behind with 14 points. Both did it on an incredibly efficient five-of-seven shooting from the field.
Zeigler tallied just four first half points while dishing out three assists, but made big time baskets in the second half, ending the game with 14 points on four-of-eight shooting.
The Vols’ backcourt has been fantastic the last two weeks and they showed they can do it against one of the nation’s best backcourts Tuesday. The freshmen point guards are turning a corner while Vescovi remains the consistent force he’s been on both sides of the ball all year.
As well as Tennessee’s backcourt played, the performance from the front court was more surprising.
Facing Naismith Player of the Year contender Oscar Tshiebwe, John Fulkerson and Jonas Aidoo shined.
Fulkerson capitalized on Tschiebwe’s tentativeness due to foul trouble, attacking the center early and often. The Kingsport native scored just four points in the three Kentucky matchups following his 27-point performance at Rupp Arena in March of 2020.
Tuesday, Fulkerson’s offensive production showed back up as the lefty finished with 14 points on six shots.
On the defensive end, freshman Jonas Aidoo gave Tennessee minutes that seemed unfathomable two weeks ago. Aidoo had played just 15 minutes his whole freshman season before Olivier Nkamhoua’s injury forced him into a bigger role.
Playing against the nation’s best center, Aidoo was fantastic, recording five points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 17 minutes.
“He’s earned his chance to be out there,” Barnes said of Aidoo. “Earlier in the year — as you guys know — he missed a lot of preseason, but going on two and a half weeks, maybe three, you could just feel it was starting to click for him. He still needs to be a little bit sharper on some of the things we need from him on the offensive end … The guys were telling him tonight, ‘just go get it’ and he did that a few times.”
A month to the day Kentucky humiliated Tennessee in Lexington, the Vols avenged their loss with a top-to-bottom complete performance.
“Everyone that came in the game made a contribution,” Barnes said.
Tennessee’s defense has shown all season that it’s an elite unit. The Vols’ talented backcourt is showing no signs of slowing down. If Tennessee can find the ever elusive front court consistency then this team has serious potential.
For now, Tennessee fans will enjoy the Vols’ fourth top five win over Kentucky in the Rick Barnes era. The seventh year head coach is now 9-7 against the Wildcats in his time in Knoxville.
