By the Numbers: Kentucky's win over Tennessee

kentucky-tennessee-win-sweep-box-score-numbers-statistics — Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

What a win for Kentucky. The Cats beat No. 10 Tennessee 66-54 at Rupp, completing their first regular-season sweep of the Vols since the 2011-12 season. The win is massive for Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament chances. Having two wins over a top-ten team like Tennessee could be the reason the Selection Committee decides to give the Cats a bid three weeks from tomorrow.

We’ll be breaking down the game all afternoon long. Let’s start with some numbers that stood out to me:

37.3: Tennessee’s field-goal percentage. The Vols normally average 43.0% from the field. They were even worse from three-point range, going 6-27 for 22.2%.

44.4: Kentucky’s field-goal percentage. The Cats led by 20 at halftime, which helped them withstand Tennessee’s inevitable second-half run.

40-32: Kentucky’s rebounds to Tennessee’s. Rebounding was key to the Cats’ victory in Knoxville and again today in Rupp.

12 & 10: Points and Rebounds by Chris Livingston, his first career double-double. Nine of Livingston’s 12 points came in the first half, helping Kentucky build a 20-point lead at halftime. He finished with a team-high +16 in efficiency.

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16, 6, & 6: Points, rebounds, and assists by Cason Wallace. With Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick out again, Wallace played 39 of the 40 minutes and only had three turnovers. Huge performances from both freshmen today.

10-11: Oscar Tshiebwe‘s mark from the free-throw line. Oscar only had three field goals today but helped push the Cats to the big win from the charity stripe. Kentucky was 23-35 (65.7%) from the line overall.

4-14: Tennessee from the free-throw line. Just 28.6%.

3: Three-pointers by Kentucky. The Cats were able to pull off a big upset with only nine points from beyond the arc (one from Jacob Toppin). Wild.

3: Quad 1 wins for Kentucky now. This time last week, they had one. If Texas A&M rises into the NET Top 30, the win over the Aggies in January will also be a Quad 1 victory. In a crucial stretch, Kentucky is doing what it has to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume.

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