Despite a second-half push by the Volunteers, Kentucky came away with the 86-69 upset over the country’s top team. The 17-point win was good for the Wildcats’ largest margin of victory over a No. 1 team in program history (because a 15-point win over No. 1 Florida back in 2003 was just too close). The Volunteers were relentless until the end, continuing to foul up until there was less than a minute left in the game, despite their double-digit deficit.
Remember, the NCAA’s new tool for March Madness selection and seeding partially relies on margin of victory, unlike the RPI system used in previous years.