No. 12 Kentucky withstood the absence of two starters and handed No. 8 Tennessee its first home loss of the season on Tuesday, as the Wildcats ended a two-game losing streak with a gritty 78-73 win over the Volunteers. Jaxson Robinson led the way with 17 points as UK (15-5, 4-3 SEC) scored more against Tennessee than any other team this season.
The Wildcats made 12 of 24 attempts from beyond the arc and used a 25-11 spurt over the first eight minutes of the second half to gain separation en route to their third straight road win over the Volunteers (17-4, 4-4). Tennessee has lost four of its past seven games since a 14-0 start that propelled the program to a five-week stay at No. 1 in the AP poll.
Three days after the Volunteers made just 4 of 22 shots from beyond the arc in a 53-51 loss at No. 1 Auburn, the cold shooting continued against Kentucky as Tennessee made just 11 of 45 3-point attempts. Senior point guard Zakai Zeigler, who returned from an injury scare late in the first half, went 1 of 11 from deep for the Vols. Igor Milicic Jr. led Tennessee with 19 points. But poor shooting wasn’t the only issue for Tennessee, which surrendered more 3-pointers than it had in any game this season.
Kentucky’s efficient offensive performance was all the more impressive because of the circumstances, as starting point guard Lamont Butler missed the game due to a shoulder injury. Usual starting forward Andrew Carr was also limited to just one minute because of a back injury. Kentucky coach Mark Pope inserted veteran sharsphsooter Koby Brea into the starting lineup in place of Butler, and the Wildcats relied on a trio of inexperienced freshmen for meaningful minutes.
Big games up next
Kentucky entered on its first two-game losing streak of Pope’s tenure, and a loss to the Volunteers would have left them reeling entering a significant showdown Saturday. The Wildcats are welcoming Arkansas and former coach John Calipari to Rupp Arena in what’s sure to be an emotionally charged atmosphere. The Razorbacks are just 12-8 (1-6 SEC), but Calipari’s presence on the opposing sideline will make for a captivating spectacle.
Tennessee now enters a game vs. No. 5 Florida on its first two-game losing streak of the season. It will be a gut-check moment for the Volunteers, who suffered a 73-43 loss at Florida on Jan. 7.
Kentucky playing through injury woes
Butler had been playing through the shoulder injury that kept him out against Tennessee. But after he committed six turnovers and appeared to be in obvious discomfort during a loss at Vanderbilt on Saturday, the Wildcats opted to give Butler Tuesday night off.
“Lamont has got a lot right now,” Pope said after the Vanderbilt game. “We all know what a warrior he is. He is giving us everything he’s got right now.”
Without Butler, Pope opted to deploy a lineup featuring no traditional point guard. In the end, center Amari Williams led the Wildcats with four assists.
Carr has been plagued by the back issue for weeks, and it finally got to a point before the Vanderbilt game that Kentucky decided to hold him out. Entering the Tennessee game, he was considered a game-time decision, and Pope brought him off the bench for the first time this season. However, Carr logged barely more than a minute before checking out after getting beat 1-on-1 off the dribble on a play that exhibited the physical limitations presented by his back issue.
Butler ranks second on the team in scoring at 13.2 points and leads Kentucky in assists (4.8) and steals (1.8). Carr averages 10.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting a team-best 53.9% from the floor. While Kentucky survived for an impressive win Tuesday without the services of Butler and Carr, their health will be critical to the Wildcats’ long-term aspirations.
Pope tabbed Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Ansley Almonor to take Carr’s place in the starting lineup for the loss to Vanderbilt and he delivered a 4-of-5 shooting performance from 3-point range while tying a season-high with 12 points. Back in the lineup for a second straight game, the sharpshooting forward turned in another gem against the Volunteers as he hit 4-of-7 shots from deep. Almonor doesn’t bring the same versatility as Carr to the power forward position. But he is a better 3-point shooter, and he’s stepped up in a significant way amid Carr’s absence.
