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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 /

3. Feb. 6, 2018

Bruce Pearl’s breakout year in 2005-2006 would be the only year he beat the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena while coaching Tennessee basketball. However, after his departure years later, the Vols stumbled. Attrition, national criticism for fans’ treatment of Cuonzo Martin and then the Donnie Tyndall disaster created six years of mediocrity with only one Sweet Sixteen appearance those six year.

In the other five, two were NIT appearances, but the three years following Martin all involved no postseason play. Two of those years, though, involved Rick Barnes rebuilding the team. And this was supposed to be the year that his rebuilding process took off.

It did just that. Despite a rough SEC start, the Vols had made it to 17-5 and 7-3 in the SEC while riding a five-game winning streak. Having already beaten the Kentucky Wildcats at home and ranked No. 15 in the nation, they were going for their first season sweep of UK in almost 20 years.

Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield were the stars of this game, but it was the guards who came through in the key moments. Down by two points with 28 seconds left, Lamonte Turner hit a three-pointer to put his team up by one. He finished leading the team with 16 points.

Then, in a brilliant defensive call by Rick Barnes, the Vols trapped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the paint. As he tried to pass it, Jordan Bowden, who was second on the team with 13 points, intercepted the pass. He then found Admiral Schofield on the fast break for a dunk to go up 65-58 with four seconds left.

On the next defensive series, Barnes called for a foul with one second left, forcing Kentucky to make its first free throw and miss the second. Schofield rebounded the miss, and the Vols got a huge win to complete their regular season sweep. They did lose to the Wildcats in the SEC Tournament championship game, but the regular season sweep and the fact that it was enough for them to capture a share of the regular season title, with Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers of all people, were the big pluses for this win.

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