No. 5 Tennessee basketball loses the rematch 75-64 to No. 15 Kentucky on Tuesday at Rupp Arena.
The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers were swept in the regular season by No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats for the second time in the past three seasons after losing 75-64.
The Wildcats had not swept head coach Rick Barnes in his first seven seasons.
Takeaway #1: The Vols struggled from the perimeter while surrendering another exceptional shooting night
The loss on Tuesday night was reminiscent of what transpired on Rocky Top a few weeks ago.
The Volunteers struggled to shoot from the outside; the Wildcats cashed in on most of their opportunities.
Tennessee is not a tremendous inside team, and they have had inconsistent success there. Despite taking 27 fewer three-pointers than in January, the team still shot poorly from deep. Igor Milicic was the only Tennessee player to make a three-pointer, and the Vols went 3-for-17 (16.7%) from deep.
The Wildcats were once again shorthanded, but this didn’t slow them down.
After shooting 12-of-24 (50.0%) from three-point range in the first game, the Wildcats again shot 12-of-24 from deep on Tuesday night. They also shot 26-of-52 (50.0%) from the field, an identical percentage to Kentucky’s victory in Knoxville.
Tennessee’s defensive mistakes allowed Kentucky open looks, but the Wildcats converted several difficult shots.
Takeaway #2: Milicic Jr. and Zeigler keep Tennessee afloat
Tennessee’s top two players on Tuesday night were Igor Milcic Jr. and Zakai Zeigler, a usual theme for the Vols of late.
Milicic Jr. settled the Vols in the first half with an and-one to get them on the board and some contested rebounds that capped off crucial defense possessions. But after scoring just those three points in the first half, Milicic Jr. got going in the second half.
The senior forward caught fire from deep, hitting three second-half triples to go along with some needed buckets at the basket. He finished the night with 16 points, nine rebounds, and two steals.
Zeigler was a dominant force for Tennessee on both ends of the ball throughout the entire game. No one exemplified the Vols’ offensive philosophy change more than their point guard, who attempted only two three-pointers.
Zeigler got to the basket as well as he has in any game this season, scoring 17 points and dishing out six assists despite committing four turnovers.
Milicic Jr.’s and Zeigler’s efforts were insufficient, but the game would not have been competitive without them performing as well as they did.
Takeaway #3: The Volunteers crumbled in the final minutes
Tennessee basketball led by two points and had control of the game with little under five minutes remaining on Tuesday night at Kentucky. The Wildcats then dominated the game’s last 4:21, outscoring Tennessee 17-4 to win 75-64 and complete the season sweep.
“We were right where we needed to be and didn’t make enough winning plays on either end of the court,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said postgame.
The Vols only scored four points in the final four minutes after scoring 34 points in the first 16 minutes of the second half.
“We’re disappointed,” Milicic Jr. said. “We just have to learn from it and get better.”
Tennessee basketball returns to Knoxville on Saturday afternoon, looking to avenge last month’s setback to Vanderbilt at Food City Center, live on SEC Network.
To keep up with Tennessee Volunteers basketball on social media, follow @BleedOrangeRev on X/Twitter.
Next up for Tennessee basketball (20-5, 7-5): vs. Vanderbilt (17-7, 5-6) – Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. EST
Next up for Kentucky basketball (17-5, 6-3): at Texas (15-10, 4-8) – Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. EST