Tennessee's Bishop Boswell on Kentucky: 'We know we're a better team than them'

With Kentucky's win over the Tennessee Volunteers last night, Mark Pope has pulled off the regular season sweep of the Volunteers for the second straight year. In both of the meetings between these two ball clubs, the Wildcats were looking rough in the first half but were able to mount large second-half comebacks to take down their rival, Tennessee.

Despite Kentucky beating the Volunteers twice this year already, Tennessee guard Bishop Boswell is not convinced the Wildcats are the better team. After the loss, Boswell had this to say about the Wildcats, “I think the most frustrating thing is we know we’re a better team than them and we haven’t put 40 minutes of basketball together against them, and that comes down to me especially on the defensive end being that anchor and I didn’t do the job I needed to do.”

The point that Boswell is forgetting in this argument that he is making is that the Wildcats also have not put together a full 40 minutes of basketball. Literally, Pope’s team has spotted the Vols a ton of points in the first half and Kentucky has had to dig itself out of a massive hole in the second half.

At the end of the day, the Kentucky players couldn’t care less about this quote because they are 2-0 against Tennessee and are a half game out of first place in the SEC. What the takeaway for Kentucky fans from this game needs to be is it is scary to think just how good this team could be if they come out better in the first half of games.

Coach Pope might be the best coach in college basketball when it comes to making halftime adjustments. If his halftime adjustments were in a game where Kentucky is up at the break, then the adjustments Coach Pope is making should lead to a blowout rather than the Cats trying to claw back into a game.

Feb 7, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts to the action during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Coach Pope’s team is starting to play some really good basketball as it matters the most. If the Wildcats take down the Gators on Saturday, they will be in first place in the SEC. The turnaround for this team in SEC play has been incredible, and Coach Pope is owed a lot of kudos for the job he has done.

While the Wildcats swept the Volunteers in the regular season, they did lose to them in the Sweet 16 last season. This is relevant because Kentucky needs to be ready to face this team again if it were to happen in the SEC or NCAA Tournament. It is safe to say that if this were to happen, Pope’s team would be ready for the Vols.