Tennessee basketball’s offense struggled in the first half and a phenomenal Dalton Knecht performance wasn’t enough for the Vols as they fell to No. 15 Kentucky 85-81.
After a relatively slow first half, Kentucky’s offense exploded in the second half and had an answer for everything Tennessee threw at them in the second half.
Here’s three quick takeaways as Kentucky spoils Tennessee’s Senior Day.
Terrible Offensive Hurts Tennessee In First Half
Tennessee’s offense rolled from start-to-finish in the matchup in Lexington last month. The Wildcats have been better since that game but their defense hadn’t been too much better.
So it was a big surprise when Tennessee’s offense turned in one of its worst halves of the season in the opening 20 minutes against Kentucky.
The Vols didn’t score until nearly three minutes into the game and that set the tone. Kentucky blocked five shots at the basket including a number early and it felt like Tennessee got a little timid offensively. Zakai Zeigler spent much of the first half on the bench with foul trouble, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi couldn’t hit any shots and started turning them down and Tennessee struggled to establish an inside game.
Tennessee trailed 28-18 with 3:03 minutes left in the half before Dalton Knecht came to the rescue. He scored nine points in the final stretch of the first half. When Jonas Aidoo flushed a Knecht missed layup as the first half expired Tennessee was only down four points.
Knecht saved the Vols in the first half, scoring 19 of their 29 points in the first half. He kept Tennessee in the striking distance which felt like a major win after a poor first half.
More From RTI: Dalton Knecht On 15-Player Ballot For Wooden Award
Tennessee Can’t Get Over The Hump
Kentucky pushed its lead to 11 points in the first six minutes of the second half and it felt like things were starting to slip away from Tennessee. Dalton Knecht hit a big triple to get the game to eight points and then he got fouled on an alley oop attempt that was ruled as a foul on the floor.
Wildcats’ coach John Calipari earned a technical foul and it felt like a prime opportunity for Tennessee to make a run and make the game tight again.
Jordan Gainey missed the technical free throw. The on the ensuing possession Dalton Knecht and Zakai Zeigler each missed open three-pointers.
Kentucky came down the court and Reed Sheppard drilled a three-pointer. 11 point game. On the ensuing possession, Knecht missed a solid look from three-point range, Tennessee got an offensive rebound and Jahmai Mashack missed a wide open triple. Kentucky went down and Justin Edwards drilled a triple.
The Vols made another run and cut the deficit to as few as five points before Kentucky opened things up. Another run that gave them the ball down three in the final seconds but Josiah-Jordan James triple just missed. Tennessee just couldn’t get over the hump.
Kentucky’s Perimeter Players Shoot Incredible From Deep
The Wildcats are one of the most electrifying offensive teams in the country and have a number of lethal scorers that can beat you from all three levels. While Tennessee kept them at bay throughout the first half, they came alive in the second half and made life incredibly difficult on Tennessee despite much better offense.
Point guard Reed Sheppard and Antonio Reeves turning in fantastic offensive performances wasn’t surprising. The duo are fantastic and were fantastic against Tennessee with Sheppard scoring 27 points and dishing out five assists while Reeves scored 27 points.
Freshman wing Justin Edwards going off was more surprising. The former No. 2 player in the country has been better as of late but has struggled for much of the season. Edwards was fantastic, particularly as Kentucky’s offense struggled in the first half, going for 16 points.
While Tennessee didn’t play a very good game and could have done much more to pick up the win, Kentucky is going to be unbelievably difficult to beat when Sheppard, Reeves and Edwards combined to shoot a scorching 14-of-22 (64%) from three-point range.
Final Stats
Up Next
The regular season is over and Tennessee basketball now turns its attention to next week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville. Tennessee’s first game is at 1 p.m. ET on Friday but the opponent is unclear.
