After beating No. 1 Alabama just days ago, Tennessee turned in an absolutely listless first half against Kentucky, and despite a furious second-half performance from Santiago Vescovi, the Wildcats beat Tennessee 66-54.
Kentucky had four players score in double figures: Cason Wallace (16), Oscar Tshiebwe (16), Chris Livingston (12), and Jacon Toppin (11), while the Vols had just two players score 10 or more, with Santiago Vescovi’s 17 and Jahmai Mashack’s 16.
The ‘Cats led 39-19 after the first 20 minutes, holding the Vols’ offense to its lowest first-half scoring output of the season. The Vols 26 percent from the field in the game’s first 20 minutes, including a one-of-13 effort from behind the arc.