Saturday night in Nashville, with 8:23 remaining in the second half, Amari Williams makes a layup to increase Kentucky’s lead to seven points, 58-51, the Wildcats’ largest of the game. They had just overturned a 14-point halftime deficit with an offensive surge and strong defense. Kentucky had the momentum and time on their side, quieting a raucous crowd.
Fans in their living rooms looked to each other and remarked, “These next four minutes will determine the game.” If Kentucky could sustain a multi-possession advantage until the under-four timeout, victory was secured.
For Kentucky, two paths diverged.
However, less than two minutes later, the score was even at 60. Carey and McGlockton made two three-pointers to trim the advantage to 58-57. The game then swung back and forth, but Kentucky eventually lost control in this vital four-minute span, allowing Vanderbilt to claw their way back into the game. The end result was a frustrating loss that should not have occurred.
Three days later, Kentucky faced a similar situation versus Tennessee. After Oweh’s free throw, the score was 58-51. Kentucky had once again overcome a halftime deficit, this time on the road, thanks to an excellent offense and a tough defense. They had all the momentum, having quieted the home crowd, and Tennessee was right behind them.
However, the circumstance was different this time, and it did not favor Kentucky. They were up against a top-10 team stacked with skill that hadn’t lost at home all season and had just suffered a painful loss to the country’s best team. Furthermore, Kentucky was without its top two point guards and starting forward, Andrew Carr.
Here we go again. Another four-minute span will determine the outcome. However, what happened in the next minutes was in sharp contrast to the game in Nashville. Kentucky matched Tennessee’s run, making big shot after big shot.
The most critical moment occurred with 5:21 remaining, when, after Tennessee trimmed the margin to five with a three-pointer by Igor Milicic, Koby Brea blasted a 24-footer just 13 seconds later, restoring the advantage to eight and quieting the Tennessee orange-clad crowd. Kentucky remained tight, not letting go of the rope this time.
Kentucky’s 78-73 victory was the program’s sixth versus top-15 opponents, tying the record set by the 2002-2003 team. It was also their third consecutive triumph in Knoxville, all as major underdogs.
With several more high-stakes games on the horizon, big blue nation is excited to see how far this Kentucky team can progress as they prepare for a huge March run.
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