CatsIllustrated – Cats crash Vols' Senior Day party

Just as it did last year in the regular-season finale at Arkansas, Kentucky embraced the role of party crasher on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn.

Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard each scored 27 points as the No. 15 Wildcats spoiled Senior Day for No. 4 Tennessee with an 85-81 victory at Food City Center.

Kentucky (23-8, 13-5 SEC) led by as much as 14 and looked to be in complete control with an 11-point lead in the final minute of play, but Tennessee had one last charge to test Big Blue Nation’s nerves.

The Volunteers scratched within three points after three consecutive UK turnovers down the stretch but missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 12 seconds to go, and the Cats’ Rob Dillingham hit one of two free throws with :05.9 remaining to clinch the win.

“They deserve it,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. “They’re a bunch of kids who never think they’re out of a game. I told them at halftime, you understand they’re going to make a run, but did they ever get up on us? No.”

Balance was the key for Kentucky, which also got 16 points from Justin Edwards and 11 points from Dillingham to help offset a 40-point explosion by the Vols’ Dalton Knecht.

“Justin was ridiculous, by far his best game,” Calipari said of Edwards, who had 13 points in the first half to help establish the tone. “I know there were people (saying) don’t play him and don’t do this, but I stuck with him, and now you see why I believed in him.”

The Cats shot 46% from the field against the nation’s third-rated defense, knocked down 15 of 29 from beyond the 3-point arc, sank 16 of 18 free throws, and won the battle on the glass 42-37.

Sheppard, a freshman guard, scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half. He came off the UK bench to go 7-of-10 from the arc. The London, Ky., native also had six rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a key blocked shot down the stretch to help preserve the UK victory.

It was quite the turnaround from Kentucky’s 103-92 loss to Tennessee (24-7, 14-4 SEC) on Feb. 3 at Rupp Arena when Calipari’s club turned in a decent defensive effort against the Vols’ Knecht — holding the explosive wing to 16 points — but did not lead for a single second of play.

This time, Knecht looked like a serious player of the year contender, but he did not get the kind of help from his surrounding cast that UK featured. The Vols shot 38% from the field and went 12-of-36 from long range.

Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James, who combined for 37 points in the first matchup, had just eight points on 2-for-14 shooting from the field.

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In this “Rapid Recap” feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…

KEY MOMENT:

Leading 42-39 early in the second half and facing a Tennessee crowd that was starting to give its team a boost, Kentucky went on a 26-15 spurt to take its largest lead of the game and put the pressure back on the Volunteers. The Wildcats had eight three-point possessions during the seven-minute run, including: three treys by Reed Sheppard; a trey and three free throws by Antonio Reeves; a 3-pointer and traditional three-point play by Rob Dillinham, and a triple from Justin Edwards to create just enough cushion at the end of the game to escape with a win.

GAME BALL:

Antonio Reeves & Reed Sheppard, Kentucky — We’re gonna have co-MVPs today. The Cats’ backcourt duo combined for 54 points, 27 apiece, to help overcome Dalton Knecht’s dominant performance for Tennessee. They went a combined 10-of-15 from deep and also combined for 13 rebounds.

BY THE NUMBERS:

3:19 – Time that Tennessee held the lead. The Volunteers led for all but 12 seconds in their Feb. 3 win over Kentucky at Rupp Arena.

5-2 – Kentucky’s record against ranked opponents this season. The Wildcats own four victories over teams ranked in the Top 10 of both the NCAA’s NET rankings and the Ken Pomeroy rankings.

15-0 – UK’s record when winning the rebound column. The Cats outrebounded the Vols 42-37.

40 – Points for Tennesee’s Dalton Knecht were the most by a UK opponent since Elston Turner of Texas A&M had 40 on January 12, 2013, at Rupp Arena.

64 – Points for Antonio Reeves in his last two regular-season finales for Kentucky. He had 37 points last season in a 88-79 win at Arkansas and 27 points today at Tennessee.

161-78 – Kentucky’s lead in the all-time series against Tennessee. The Cats improved to 59-53 in Knoxville with their fourth win in the last five trips to the Food City Center.

QUOTABLE:

“We just gotta be better at the end of these games.” — Kentucky head coach John Calipari on watching an 11-point lead get trimmed down to three in the final 55 seconds of play.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action next week in the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The Wildcats will either be the No. 2 seed or No. 3 seed, playing their first game on Friday.