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Tennessee basketball vs. Kentucky: Ranking Vols 5 wins at Rupp Arena

By Caleb Calhoun

LEXINGTON, KY - FEBRUARY 06: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and PJ Washington #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats battle for a loose ball during the game at Rupp Arena on February 6, 2018 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - FEBRUARY 06: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and PJ Washington #25 of the Kentucky Wildcats battle for a loose ball during the game at Rupp Arena on February 6, 2018 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

5. Jan. 20, 1979

In Don DeVoe’s first year, the Vols were a program in a bit of turmoil. They had suffered through a losing season, their only one within a span of over 20 years, in 1977-1978. That was the year that acting head coach Cliff Wettig replaced Ray Mears, who had to retire early due to health reasons, and the Bernie and Ernie show had ended. But in this game, this year, DeVoe was able to restore the Vols’ momentum as a program.

Heading into SEC play, Tennessee basketball was 5-5, and they had only started 3-2 in the conference. On a cold Saturday in January, at 8-7 overall, they traveled to Rupp Arena looking for a victory. In one of the team performances in school history, UT had four guys score in double figures. Reggie Johnson led the way with 20 points, followed by Terry Crosby with 14 and Gary Carter with 13.

Notable other UT figures stepped up. Vols radio broadcaster Bert Bertelkamp dropped eight assists, and famous professional wrestler Kevin Nash added 10 points. In the process, the Vols beat the defending national champions.

This wasn’t a big win in terms of quality victories, as Joe Hall’s team was 6-6 at the time of the game. They were clearly rebuilding and would eventually just make the NIT. But it gave the Vols the confidence they needed to finish second in the SEC standings and beat Kentucky two more times that year, the final time being for the SEC Tournament championship to make the NCAA Tournament. The win set the stage for the season, which set the stage for a very successful tenure that DeVoe enjoyed in the early 1980s.

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