Shoving match breaks out between Kentucky and Tennessee, four technicals issued

Tempers flared in a key conference showdown between Kentucky and No. 5 Tennessee, resulting in a shoving match that drew four technical fouls.

With Tennessee protecting a 10-point lead in the second half, Volunteers big man Tobe Awaka pulled down a rebound between a pair of Wildcats after a missed 3-pointer by Dalton Knecht. Officials blew the whistle for a reach in, stopping play.

But Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham continued to poke at the ball in Awaka’s arms. As the two bowed up to each other, Kentucky’s Aaron Bradshaw shoved Awaka in the back.

Then players from both teams had to be pulled apart by the officials before things got worse. You can view the dust-up below.

We got ACTION in Rupp 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/qSY4H3YYfT

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 4, 2024

Dillingham, Bradshaw, Awaka and Tennessee’s Jordan Gainey were all assessed a technical foul. Because there were two technicals each way, they offset with play set to go on as if the brief fracas never happened.

Each of the four players were assessed a personal foul, though, which could prove significant down the stretch.

Tennessee led with a well-rounded effort, relying considerably less on Knecht than it has in recent weeks. He had just 10 points at the 12:41 mark in the second half.

But point guard Zakai Zeigler was more than making up for it. He had 19 points at the time of this writing.

Tennessee had also carved out a decided advantage in points in the paint, building a 30-18 edge there with about 10 minutes remaining in the contest. Both teams had remarkably similar shooting percentages — from both the floor and 3-point range — in the contest.

This is the first of two meetings between the schools this season, with the two set to meet in the regular-season finale later this year.

Tennessee entered Saturday night’s game coming off a loss to South Carolina, while Kentucky entered off a loss to Florida.