LEXINGTON, Ky. — A rivalry dated back to 1910, where Kentucky led the series 160-77 coming into Saturday night, but the Vols added a win to their name in a commanding 103-92 victory. Kentucky trailed the entire game as Tennessee now has eight wins in Rupp Arena.
This is the first time Kentucky has lost consecutive games at Rupp Arena while being ranked in the AP Top 10 in both games.
The Cats drop to 15-6 overall and 5-4 in SEC play.
The Vols got off to a hot start and had their largest lead of 16 with nine minutes to play in the second half. Many might have expected Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht to lead the way, being the number one player in the SEC right now, but the Vols proved to be a team with multiple weapons.
All five Tennessee starters finished in double figures. Zakai Zeigler and Josiah-Jordan James each had 26 points on the night. The Vols outscored Kentucky in the paint 42-30.
Rob Dillingham always seems to shine in big moments. He finished with a career-high 35 points, shooting 14-20 from the field and 6-8 from behind the arc. It was the most points ever scored by a UK player against Tennessee at Rupp since Kenny Walker scored 33 in 1985.
Antonio Reeves racked up 21 points. D.J. Wagner was out for the second straight game with an ankle injury. Reed Sheppard started in his place again, finishing with 16 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Meanwhile, the rest of the team scored a combined 20 points.
A quiet Tre Mitchell, as he was the only starter who had no points. He went 0-3 from the field and 0-2 from the three-point line in 24 minutes of play.
When the Cats called their first timeout, Kentucky got off to a rough start, trailing 13-3. The UK made a few runs in the first half after trailing by as much as 14; the Cats were able to cut the deficit within four at the half, 46-42. These are the most points Tennessee has scored in the first half against Kentucky in Rupp Arena since 1992.
The Cats defense continues to be an issue. The 103 points scored by Tennessee are the most that Tennessee has scored against Kentucky in Lexington and the most points allowed by UK in an SEC home game since 1992.
Next up for Kentucky is on the road vs Vanderbilt on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.
