Kentucky’s grip on Knoxville keeps tightening, and at this point, the pattern is impossible to ignore.
For the fourth straight season, the Wildcats entered Food City Center as underdogs and left with a victory, this time storming back from a 17-point hole to knock off No. 24 Tennessee 80–78. The win gave Kentucky six victories in its last seven trips to Knoxville and marked the program’s first four-game winning streak in the building since the 2003–06 stretch.
“It was great coming to Knoxville again,” Collin Chandler joked afterward. “Our team loves playing in Knoxville.”
History backs him up.
This comeback may have been the most unlikely yet. Kentucky didn’t grab its first lead until the final minute, when Otega Oweh finished a fast-break layup to put the Wildcats ahead 78–77 with 34 seconds remaining. From there, the Cats held on, sealing a massive road win that will loom large on their NCAA Tournament résumé.
That outcome looked far-fetched early. Kentucky trailed by 17 late in the first half and went into the locker room down 11. A key turning point came when Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie picked up his second foul, giving Kentucky a chance to regroup and survive until halftime.
The second-half rally came piece by piece. Denzel Aberdeen and Collin Chandler provided the initial spark, combining for five three-pointers that steadily erased the deficit. Oweh, quiet early, caught fire after the break and delivered crucial plays in winning time to finish off the comeback.
At this point, these rallies are no fluke. Over the last three games, Kentucky has trailed by a combined 47 points — and won all three. Fighting back has become the Wildcats’ calling card.
The loss also shattered Tennessee’s home dominance. The Vols were 10–0 at home this season and 15–0 dating back to last year. Even more remarkable, Tennessee had been 100–2 in its previous 102 home games when leading at halftime. Both losses? Kentucky — one last season, and one again on Saturday.
More history followed. It was the first time Kentucky ever beat Tennessee after trailing by double digits at halftime. And Mark Pope remained flawless in Knoxville, still undefeated there as both a player and a head coach.
The celebration told the rest of the story. Inside the visitors’ locker room, the Wildcats celebrated like they owned the place, dousing Pope with water after yet another unforgettable win.
Knoxville is supposed to be one of the toughest places to play in the SEC — but for Kentucky, it’s starting to feel very familiar.
