All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee basketball: Ranking Vols 10 homes wins vs. top 5 Kentucky teams

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 24: Tennessee Volunteers players celebrate after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 82-80. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 24: Tennessee Volunteers players celebrate after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 82-80. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 11
Next
Tennessee basketball
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images /

6. Jan. 14, 1950

Yes, we go way back in time for this one. It was only the third meeting between the two schools with either team ranked. Spoiler alert, Kentucky was ranked all three times at No. 1, No. 1 and No. 2. Tennessee basketball had not yet beaten them while ranked.

That’s where this game comes in. Head coach Emmett Lowery and 6’5″ center Art Burris were the leaders of the team. Kentucky entered the game 9-1 and ranked No. 2, while the Vols were 3-4 and unranked.

On top of that, the Wildcats were riding a 12-game winning streak against UT. So everything pointed to them winning. However, it didn’t happen. Burris had the game of his life with 28 points. A dominant defensive performance put these guys ahead 36-20 at halftime. Kentucky could never make it close, and they lost 66-53. The Vols would finish 15-11 with no postseason, but this was a huge win.

A few things make this significant. First off, the Vols beat a very highly ranked team. Secondly, it was their first win against a ranked Kentucky team. And to make matters better, they would upset the Kentucky Wildcats in football, ruining Bear Bryant’s undefeated and national championship dream season in Lexington. This was just the year for the Vols to own the Wildcats.

Home/Vols Basketball