Winning on the road is fun. Beating the Tennessee Volunteers is fun. Combining the two and beating the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson Boling Arena is even sweeter. The Kentucky Wildcats, playing without starting point guard Lamont Butler, backup point guard Kerr Kriisa, and only getting 1:29 from Andrew Carr, were able to score the most points of any team all season against the Volunteers. It was yet another Top 10, Quad 1A, win for the ‘Cats who continue to build one of the most impressive resumes in college basketball. In order to reach their long-term goals this team will obviously have to get healthy, but in the short-term getting back in the win column was all that mattered.

Koby Brea was a perfect 5-5, 3-3 from the field in Knoxville leading the Wildcats with 18 points. Jaxson Robinson added 17 points on 4-9 shooting from deep, Otega Oweh chipped in 14 points, Ansley Almonor scored 12 points on 4-7 shooting from beyond the arc, and Amari Williams contributed a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds. Kentucky got significant contributions in extended minutes from Collin Chandler and Trent Noah as well. Then, on the defensive end, the Wildcats turned in one of their best efforts of the season. Coach Pope’s game plan was clearly to pack it in and it led to the Volunteers shooting 45 three-point shots. Tennessee isn’t known for their offense, but it was an impressive display of defensive execution by Kentucky to pull out the road victory.

As always, we’ve been hard at work in the KSR Film Room breaking down Kentucky’s latest contest. The Wildcats executed at a high-level offensively, despite being short-handed, against the best defense in college basketball. On the defensive end, the ‘Cats executed their game plan to near perfection aside from getting beat on the glass as the game went on. In this breakdown we will highlight Kentucky’s offensive excellence, take a look at the improved defensive execution, and showcase how the Wildcats responded in Tennessee’s punches during winning time. Let’s dive on in and take a closer look at Kentucky’s 78-73 win in Knoxville over the rival Tennessee Volunteers.

Offensive Execution Against the Best Defense in the Country

It isn’t easy to score against the Tennessee Volunteers. When you play without a point guard and your starting power forward it becomes even more difficult. However, Kentucky was able to execute well enough offensively to score more points than anyone had against the Volunteers all season long. Shooting 12-24 from three-point range played a role, but the ‘Cats also used Tennessee’s aggressiveness against them at times to attack the basket. On Tuesday night we saw a great offense beat a great defense in Knoxville.

It is hard to overstate how important Amari Williams is to this Kentucky team. There is a lot of focus on his flaws because of how much he is asked to do for the Wildcats. However, ultimately, he is the catalyst for a Top 5 offense in college basketball. To do what he does as a 7’0″ center is truly incredible. Then, against Tennessee, he essentially played point guard for most of the game. This clip showcases his special ability to read defenses. Just as Ansley Almonor and Jaxson Robinson are playing off of one another, Williams has to read the defense in real time in order to deliver an accurate and timely pass. He does so perfect this time as Robinson pops back for an open three. Beautiful offense from the Wildcats.

If you just look at the box score there is nothing about Brandon Garrison’s game that will stand out. However, that is why we watch the tape. There was a stretch in the first half where he single-handily dominated the Tennessee Volunteers. Garrison always plays incredibly hard and is excellent on the rim-run. That effort in transition is what got Ansley Almonor open for a three on this possession. Look at how he sprints down the floor and immediately looks to post the smaller defender. As Garrison occupies #11 Gainey, #7 Milicic Jr. help like he needed to come help. Once Milicic Jr. stepped down to help on Garrison, Koby Brea delivered a perfect pass to a wide open Ansley Almonor in the corner. That is an automatic three points.

Sometimes you have to use the Tennessee Volunteers’ pressure against them. If they want to get up in your cylinder, put their hands on you, and try to force turnovers you have to put your head down and go to the rack. Against teams that supply this level of perimeter defensive pressure it is really hard to pass the ball around the perimeter and run offense. Otega Oweh took matters into his own hands here to attack the baseline and finish a spectacular And-1.

#7 Milicic Jr. had just banked in a three-point shot to cut Kentucky’s advantage to five points. A banked in three-point shot is becoming a staple of the Wildcats’ opponents. However, Koby Brea was ready to answer just seconds later. This type of quick turn of events is how you keep the home crowd from really getting into it. Anytime his man gets caught going up through it should be a free three points for the ‘Cats.

Best Defensive Execution of the Season

Some of the three-point shots off of offensive rebounds obviously weren’t a part of the master plan. However, if you had asked Coach Pope and the staff before the game if they were fine with the Tennessee Volunteers taking 45 three-point shots they probably would have said yes. The Wildcats did a great job of packing it in, cutting off the head of the snake in #5 Zeigler, and got contributions defensively from some surprising names. Kentucky will need to replicate their defensive effort and intensity against the Volunteers more often going forward in order to reach their ceiling.

You cannot execute a defensive possession any better than this. #5 Zeigler is an excellent playmaker, but not much of a scorer. When you don’t give him options to pass to you can effectively cut off the head of the snake. That is what Kentucky did again and again on his drives. Notice how the blue jerseys don’t turn and watch the ball or leave their man when he drives. In fact, Otega Oweh did a great job of tightening up to #2 Lanier as the ball was driven towards him. That is attention to detail, concentration, and execution is what we need to see more of from the Wildcats defensively.

Koby Brea played, by far, his best game defensively of the season against the Tennessee Volunteers. He was excellent went matched up against #5 Zeigler. In the KSR+ Scouting Report we talked about how you would need to “follow the ball” off of Zeigler to help guard the Volunteers’ floppy action. You see a perfect example of that here. As #2 Lanier curls into an elbow jump shot Brea jumps at him. That defensive effort and activity level forced a trade from a Lanier jump shot to a Zeigler three.

Collin Chandler brought his “Championship Chest” to Knoxville and it led to him playing over 15 minutes. He didn’t score, but the freshman stepped up and helped Kentucky beat the Tennessee Volunteers. Check out how he cuts of #15 Mashack’s drive, walls up, gets physical, and gets him to miss inside. Excellent defense from Chandler who had played a total of five minutes in SEC play prior to Tuesday night.

Here is more excellent defense from Collin Chandler. This clip is all about urgency and effort. There is nothing wrong with playing a little scared sometimes. You should be scared of giving up a three-point shot to someone like #2 Lanier. Chandler’s effort to chase Lanier and contest his shot looks like that of someone who is scared to let him hit one. That is a genuine compliment. Then, Otega Oweh ends the possession with a big time defensive rebound.

Big Plays That Turned the Tide

Kentucky was tied 81-81 with Alabama before a 9-0 run signaled the end of the game. Against Vanderbilt, the Wildcats led with just a couple of minutes remaining but couldn’t execute down the stretch. However, against the Tennessee Volunteers, enough things went UK’s way to escape Thompson Boling Arena with the win. Missed free throws and an inability to rebound just about doomed the ‘Cats, but the work they did throughout the 40 minutes was enough. There were two plays in particular that stood out in contrast to recent losses. Let’s take a look.

Coming on the tails of making seven straight field goals it could have easily been time for Kentucky to go cold. Otega Oweh forced a mid-range jumper that got blocked, but was able to recover the basketball. Then, Travis Perry had a good look from deep just rim out. However, Oweh crashed the offensive glass hard from the perimeter, tracked down the ball, and laid it in. Effort created that play, but those bounces didn’t go Kentucky’s way in their previous two losses. Those are the type of plays you need to beat a Top 10 team on the road.

Something we talk a lot about in tight games like this is the “just keep scoring” mentality. You can find stops along the way, but you have to keep putting points on the board to close out games against good teams like the Tennessee Volunteers. Chaz Lanier had just hit a three-point shot in transition to make it a one possession game. The final media timeout was looming as the crowd dressed in orange waited to erupt. However, Koby Brea calmly got himself to the rim, drew a foul, and kept the momentum from turning. In the previous couple of games this possession likely would have resulted in a “hero-ball” sort of shot. Brea used Tennessee’s pressure against them, drove to the basket, and knocked in both free throws after the timeout.

Admittedly, this is just pure luck. However, sometimes that is what it takes to beat really good teams on the road. Kentucky has had some broken plays go against them this season so they shouldn’t apologize for benefitting from one on Tuesday night. This was essentially a turnover that got deflected twice on its way to bouncing all of the way through to a wide open Trent Noah who caught it in stride and laid it in. Those two points came on the heels of Tennessee cutting it to six on a three-point shot. You need some plays like that to wins games like that.