After being rolled over by Kentucky at Roop Arena, Tennessee was determined to return the favor at the Thompson-Bowling Arena. The Volunteers warmed up as the Wildcats, 76-63, never gave up.
The most notable difference between the performance in Lexington, Tennessee and the performance in Knoxville was that of the defense. After awarding 107 points in the first meeting between the two teams, the Volunteers surrendered just 63, holding the Wildcats off the field by 34.3%.
As impressive as the defensive performance was, Tennessee's offense had a strong night from start to finish. Four different volunteers were in double digits as the team scored 44.4% off the field and 47.1% from the three-point boundary. Even when Kentucky pushed in the second half, Tennessee was still able to respond.
Walls has now won eight straight SEC games since that loss in Lexington, and he looks like a legitimate contender within the conference. The college basketball media was blown away with their latest win over the Wildcats.
This has been really impressive by Tennessee.
— Steve Layman (@SteveLayman) February 16, 2022
Chandler and Vescovi got them going. Fulkerson's been aggressive. Zeigler's made plays. And the #Vols are about to run the Cats out of TBA.
Freshman Kennedy Chandler stepped up early and hit some key 3-pointers, and fellow freshman Zakai Ziegler brought energy to the volunteers.
Kentucky made its run. And is now about to be run out of the building. This is impressive. This is Cal's best team since 2014-15.
— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) February 16, 2022
Kentucky was able to reduce Tennessee's lead to eight in the second half, but the Volunteers were able to slam the door from there, a statement victory for them.
Kentucky has been better pretty much every other night but Tennessee's No. 6 KenPom defense was probably widely undersold. A defense like that can make almost anyone look bad on its best night, even a normally great offense.
— Justin Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) February 16, 2022
Tennessee's defense has been one of the best in the country all year, and it shows against Kentucky tonight. The Wildcats could not get into any sort of aggressive rhythm.
Tennessee answered the bell. We wanted to know if the Vols were "second weekend good" --- they are. LOVE Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler on the floor together.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 16, 2022
Tennessee looked like a tournament team, but how far it could go was debatable. In this win over Kentucky, Walls looked like he could go the distance.
#Vols have played well in this game after the slow start. If they can play like this in March … https://t.co/AKm7yp7rDG
— Teresa Walker (@TeresaMWalker) February 16, 2022
After a few early-season discrepancies, Tennessee has been heating up of late. The Walls have now won eight straight SEC games, and they could do some damage in conference tournaments.
Thought two of the biggest keys tonight for Tennessee had to be turnovers and transition defense. 20 turnovers in first meeting; six tonight. Transition defense has been so much better, too. Kentucky consistently beat Tennessee down the floor last month; hasn’t happened tonight.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 16, 2022
Volunteers took better care of the ball in Knoxville, and it showed up on the scoreboard. Wildcats didn't get many -- if any -- easy buckets.
#Kentucky is getting flooded tonight. A lot of variables here but Tennessee has kept the same energy from the opening tip.
— Mitch Brown FOX 56 (@MitchBTV_) February 16, 2022
They wanted some get back tonight.
The Thompson-Bowling Arena was shaking, and Tennessee was able to feed off that energy. Volunteers were all over the Wildcats, especially on the defensive end.
Warm up the bus.
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) February 16, 2022
Tennessee 63, Kentucky 45, 8:30 2H
Thompson-Boling Arena is partying like Rupp Arena exactly one month ago. Revenge being served.
Kentucky dropped a hammer on Tennessee in Lexington. Walls did the same with the Wildcats in Knoxville. Maybe there will be a part three in the SEC tournament.
That was the moment to make a run but it passed
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) February 16, 2022
This Kentucky team can be great. But the greatness is fragile. It has to have all its parts and they all need to play well
TyTy being not 100% and Oscar having an off night is more than this team can overcome
Kentucky didn't know where to turn to play well with the Tennessee defense, Tyty Washington isn't at 100%, and Oscar Tshibwe is eliminated.
Rick Barnes will move to 9-7 against Kentucky during his time at Tennessee.
— @GrantRamey (@GrantRamey) February 16, 2022
Five wins in Knoxville, three in Lexington, one in the SEC Tournament.
With this win, Rick Barnes continues his impressive run against Kentucky since being hired by Tennessee. Walls has done well against his rivals with Barnes in charge.