KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES 
TENNESSEE at KENTUCKY
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER                  
FEB. 6, 2021 
ATTENDANCE: 3,075
 
Final Score: No. 11/10 Tennessee 82, Kentucky 71
 
Team Records and Series Notes                                       

• Kentucky is now 5-12 overall, 4-6 in the Southeastern Conference.
  • UK has lost six of its last seven games after starting league play 3-0.
• Tennessee is 13-4 overall, 6-4 in league play.

• Kentucky leads the series 156-75 but Tennessee has won the last two and six of the last nine.
  • Kentucky leads 92-19 in games played in Lexington.
  • Tennessee has won back-to-back games in Rupp Arena for the first time since the 1976-77 seasons.
• Next up: Kentucky hosts Arkansas on Tuesday, the Wildcats’ fifth straight game vs. an opponent ranked in the top 40 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool. The game will tip at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Player Notes   

• Keion Brooks Jr. had career highs with 23 points and 11 rebounds, career highs in both categories, for his first career double-double.

  • Brooks also had career highs by making 8 of 16 field goals and 7 of 8 free throws.
  • Only the second player this season to score 20 vs. Tennessee.
  • Brooks is averaging 11.8 points since returning to action eight games ago.
• Olivier Sarr collected 14 points and five rebounds. It’s his eighth double-figure scoring game as a Wildcat.
• Devin Askew played his finest game as a Wildcat as he scored a career-high 14 points after having tallied 12 on three occasions.
  • His floor game featured five rebounds, four assists and two steals. 
  • He made a career-high-tying five field goals on seven attempts.

Coach John Calipari 

• Calipari is now 335-89 at UK.
• Calipari has a 780-229 all-time on-court record. 
• UK is 63-38 under Calipari against Associated Press Top 25 teams but has lost five straight games vs. ranked teams.
• Calipari is 17-13 in his career vs. Tennessee.

Team Notes 

• Kentucky fell to 0-5 vs. opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of the of the game this season.
• Kentucky had one of its best free-throw shooting games of the season, making 17 of 19 for 89.5%.
• Tennessee shot 47.1% from the field, ending Kentucky’s string of five straight games holding the opponent to less than 40%.
• UK allowed 48 points in the second half, tying the season high for most in a half as Richmond (second half) and Notre Dame (first half) also hit 48.
• Kentucky committed 13 turnovers that led to 16 Tennessee points.
  • 11 of the turnovers, leading to 13 Tennessee points, came in the decisive second half.
  • UK is averaging 16.3 turnovers in its losses this and 11.6 turnovers in its wins.
• UK led by as many as 10 points during the game. UK is 284-11 under Coach Calipari when leading by at least 10 during the game, but only 3-3 in this season.
• The Wildcats are on their third streak of three or more losses this season. Prior to this season, UK had only lost more than two games consecutively once in the Calipari era.

In the First Half 

• Kentucky started Devin Askew, Davion Mintz, Brandon Boston Jr., Isaiah Jackson and Olivier Sarr for the fifth time this season. UK is 1-4 with this lineup.

  • UK has used seven different starting lineups this season, none of which have started more than five games.
  • Keion Brooks Jr. was the first substitution at the 17:34 mark.
• Tied at 14, UK got hot over the next three minutes – scoring on six straight possessions – to post a 27-20 lead. 
• At 29-22, Tennessee rallied with a 10-1 spurt to go ahead 32-30.
• UK responded, closing the final 5:42 of the half with a 12-2 run to lead 42-34 at intermission.
  • It is the most points allowed by Tennessee in a first half this season. The Volunteers entered the day No. 1 in the nation in Ken Pomeroy’s defensive ratings.
  • Kentucky had only two turnovers in the first half.
  • UK is 3-5 when leading at halftime this season.

In the Second Half 

• Kentucky opened the second half with Askew, Mintz, Boston, Brooks and Sarr.
• UK scored first to give the Wildcats their largest lead of the game at 44-34. 
• Brooks scored 10 of UK’s first 14 points of the half.
• Ahead 58-48, Kentucky went scoreless for almost four minutes and Tennessee went on a 12-0 run for a 60-58 lead. 
• Trailing 64-62, Tennessee went ahead for good with another 12-0 run to make it 74-64. UK was scoreless for four minutes during that stretch.
• All totaled, Tennessee ended the game on a 34-13 run.