Photography through SEC
Kentucky extended their streak of wins to three by telling Tennessee to bite the curb and then stepping on his face for 40 minutes. The Wildcats have now won two straight at Thompson-Boling after defeating Tennessee 70-55, their first win against one of the top 25 teams this season.
Tennessee couldn’t do anything to slow down Kentucky in the first half. Davion Mintz was not shy, he came out of three in transition without hesitation and hit the back of the net. He made his first five three-point attempts, while Isaiah Jackson abused the flights inside. He had 13 points, a couple of blocked shots and a thunderous crash before the break.
As excellent as the attack was in the first half, Kentucky struggled to make shots after the break. The easy transition deposits disappeared, as the UK only made 4/23 shots through the timeout of the under-fours, although it still led 20 points thanks to the whistles that placed Kentucky on the line. free throws. The Wildcats proved they are in fact free, and drained 17 of 20 to keep the Flights at bay.
The Kentucky defense deserves a lot of credit for today’s victory. Tennessee had been averaging more than 82 points over the past four games. On Saturday afternoon, the Flights made only 32.1% of their shots, including 6 of 22 behind the three-point line.
The Big Blue Nation wondered if this team would ever turn the corner. As usual, wild cats take the step just in time for the postseason.