Tennessee basketball: Grant Williams’ 10 greatest games with Vols

4. March 2, 2019 vs. No. 4 Kentucky

Tennessee: 71 Kentucky: 51

Grant Williams stat line: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Up until this point, Grant Williams had been called out for not coming through as much when Tennessee basketball had played the Kentucky Wildcats. The two had met six times before this outing with Williams in the lineup, but his only notable outing was 18 points in a 2017 win.

Heading into this game, the Vols were two weeks removed from a 17-point road loss to UK that knocked them off of their No. 1 spot. In that game, Williams had a quiet 16 points. Sure, he was highly efficient shooting 75 percent in that game, but he wasn’t aggressive at all, taking only four shots and shooting only nine free throws.

This was his game to step up and make amends. And he did just that. In a battle with PJ Washington, Williams shot 7-of-13 from the field en route to his 24 points. He even hit two of four three-point attempts. Going 8-for-11 from the free throw line was efficient enough, and he was clearly the star in the Vols’ dominating win.

Add in Williams’ 7 rebounds, 2 assist and steal, and he had a very elite performance against a top 5 team. Up to that point, it was his best performance ever against such a highly ranked team. But he would outdo himself two weeks later. That game is next up on our list.