Vols’ Streak of Consecutive Wins Over Kentucky at Home Snapped in 77-64 Loss

There are few arenas that John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats struggle to persevere in. Since Rick Barnes arrived at Tennessee, Knoxville has been at the top of that short list.

Heading into Saturday’s contest, the Vols had won three consecutive matchups over Kentucky, twice by double digits, at Thompson-Boling Arena dating back to the 2016-17 season.

Not anymore.

Despite 18 points from Santiago Vescovi and a 16-point, seven-rebound performance from John Fulkerson, Tennessee was unable to outwit Kentucky’s veteran savvy and quickness in a 77-64 loss.

Immanuel Quickley led the Wildcats (18-5, 8-2 SEC) with 18 points, including 15 in the second half as UK held the lead for all but 21 seconds. It marks the first time a Calipari-coached team has won in Knoxville in four years.

For Tennessee (13-10, 5-5 SEC) coach Rick Barnes, Saturday’s matchup meant a chance for his team to be thrown in the fire.

“I thought our guys fought, I thought they had a good mindset coming in,” Barnes said. “The first half, we did what we wanted to do. We just couldn’t stop them in late-game situations.”

2019-20 has proven to be a season of streak-snappers for the Vols.

Heading into this year, Tennessee had won 31 straight home games. That span ended in an ugly Dec. 28 loss to Wisconsin, and UT has not stopped sliding since.

Although the Vols were able to come from 15 down to win on the road against Alabama, playing from behind against a team like Kentucky always spells trouble for the opponent. Unfortunately for UT, they learned that lesson the hard way.

Another area that Tennessee struggled with was the defensive glass.

The Vols gave up seven offensive rebounds over the course of the second half that resulted in eight second chance points, something that ultimately doomed Tennessee late.

“We had the game plan, we knew what we wanted to execute but it came down to rebounding,” Bowden said. “That’s one thing we tried to emphasize on is rebounding on both ends of the court and we gave them some second-chance shots.”

Of those struggling to get on the boards, those of 7-footer Uros Plavsic will cause the most concern.Starting in place of the injured Josiah-Jordan James, Plavsic played 11 total minutes and grabbed just one rebound.

Plavsic was terrorized by Kentucky’s Nick Richards and Keion Brooks, Jr. and struggled to keep up with their quickness on both ends.

Having Plavsic involved takes the Vols to another level, however, and Bowden emphasized that reality when addressing reporters.

“When he’s blocking shots and dunking the ball, it ignites our team, but he’s got to want it,” Bowden said. “He’s just got to keep getting better and he’ll be fine.”

Tennessee had a chance late, pulling within four following consecutive 3-pointers from Vescovi, but were unable to close the gap any further. UT led for a total of 21 seconds, which came moments after the game’s opening score.

Ultimately, the Vols were unable to take advantage of their opportunities late and it proved costly.

“We had some looks at it that we’d like to make, but they didn’t go down and it can get away from you quickly,” Barnes said. “I thought our guys fought. I really do and I appreciate their effort.”