Rising to the Occasion: Kentucky wins in Knoxville, 85-81

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In a heated meeting between two of the SEC's leading scorers, the regular season finale between No. 15 Kentucky and No. 4 Tennessee lived up to its billing. The Wildcats responded to every Volunteer run, rising to the moment for an 85-81 win over the Vols in Knoxville.

Tennessee's Dalton Knecht exploded for a career-high 40 points.

But if one's good, two's better, and Kentucky's back-court duo of Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard had a game to remember. The Cats combined for 54 points - 27 apiece for Reeves and Sheppard. Edwards also finished in double-figure scoring with 16 points, including four, three-pointers, while Rob Dillingham added 11 points off the bench.

With the win, Kentucky finishes the regular season 23-8 (13-5 in the SEC) and 1-1 against Tennessee. The Cats will begin the post season on a five-game winning streak, with a trip to Nashville for the SEC Tournament now on deck. The Wildcats have earned the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of the No. 7 seed Texas A&M and the No. 10 seed Ole Miss Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Both teams struggled to hit shots to start the game, and foul trouble halted Kentucky's attempt at an early run. Dillingham fouled Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler on a 3-point shot, which sent the Volunteer to the line and Dillingham to the bench with his second foul, with more than 14 minutes still to play in the half.

Three minutes later, Zvonimir Ivisic also earned his second foul.

Reeves and Sheppard kept the Cats rolling on offense, combining to hit three quick three-pointers over the next minute of game action. After Reeves sank his second triple of the day, the Cats led 18-12.

Tennessee responded with a quick run of its own to quickly make it a two-point game. Edwards extended Kentucky's lead with a jumper, before draining consecutive three-pointers to give his team a 10-point lead.

Kentucky was shooting 37 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep, but the Cats led 28-18 with three minutes to play in the half. Tennessee chipped away at that lead for those final three minutes, and a Knecht three-pointer with 1:15 left in the half put the Vols back within four points. Reeves made a layup with 16 seconds remaining, but Jonas Aidoo responded with a dunk on the other end to make it 33-29 at the break.

Edwards led the way for the Cats with 13 first-half points, including three, 3-pointers, while Reeves had 11 points. No other Wildcat had more than five.

Tennessee's Josiah-Jordan James had two 3-pointers within the first four minutes of the second half, but they were separated by a triple by Sheppard that kept the Vols at bay.

Dillingham's bucket and a foul, followed by successful three-pointers out of the hands of - you guessed it - Sheppard and Reeves led to a 9-0 Kentucky run. It'd only get crazier from there.

DJ Wagner picked up his fourth foul and, having already been given a coach's box warning, John Calipari earned a technical foul. The Vols got to the charity stripe, but Cal's team quickly responded with back-to-back triples. This time, it was Sheppard then Edwards.

The threes gave the Cats a 60-46 advantage with under 12 minutes to play, forcing Rick Barnes to call a timeout.

By the mid-way point of the second half, both teams had caught fire from deep. Sheppard and Dillingham both sank three-pointers, but Knecht found his own shot from deep during this stretch. In a seven minute run, the fifth-year senior exploded for 13 points, including three, three-pointers and an assist on another. He was up to 34 individual points, and he had the Vols back within five points when Calipari called a timeout.

Basketball is a game of runs and by this point, the Cats had survived Tennessee's. Two quick buckets by Reeves followed by a three-point dagger by Sheppard put Kentucky up by ten, 77-67, with just under four minutes to play. Sheppard hit one more triple just for fun, extending UK's lead and essentially ending the game. He finished 7-10 from beyond-the-arc to match a career-best from deep.

Kentucky maintained momentum for the final few minutes, despite Tennessee's attempt at a last-minute comeback. Rob Dillingham went 1-2 at the free throw line to close out the game, and the Cats left Knoxville with a four-point win.

The Wildcats will now head to Nashville to begin post-season play in the SEC Tournament. Saturday's win over Tennessee gives Kentucky the No. 2 seed and the coveted double bye, meaning they have automatically advanced to the quarterfinals. The Cats will play the winner of the No. 7 seed Texas A&M and the No. 10 seed Ole Miss, on Friday in Nashville at 7 p.m. ET.

BBN Tonight

For more on Saturday's game and the Cats' upcoming run in the post-season, watch BBN Tonight weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on the official station for UK Athletics, LEX 18 News, or anytime on BBNTonight.com