KSR Today: Kentucky leaves Rocky Top victorious

Tennessee was the class of the Southeastern Conference in 2024. The Vols claimed their first outright league title since 2008 and were in the driver’s seat to grab the final No. 1 seed. Despite a solid hoops tradition, Tennessee has never been a No. 1 seed.

Rick Barnes‘ team probably needs a couple of good wins in Nashville at the SEC Tournament to get there now after Kentucky stunned Tennessee as an 8.5-point road underdog on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Reed Sheppard finished with 27 points on 14 field goal attempts with six rebounds, and five assists in 33 minutes. Antonio Reeves poured in 27 points on 18 field goal attempts with seven rebounds in 37 minutes. All-American and likely SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht did drop 40 points on 31 field goal attempts for Tennessee, but it was the lack of production from the supporting cast that got Kentucky to the winner’s circle.

Five-man Jonas Aidoo needed 11 shot attempts to get to 11 points. Josiah Jordan-James, Santiago Vescovi, and Zakai Ziegler were a combined 6 of 20 (30%) after shooting 10 of 19 (52.6%) in Tennessee’s 103-92 win at Rupp Arena on Feb. 3. Vols outside of Knecht shot just 6 of 23 (26.1%) from two-point range.

Kentucky made the contest a team game, and the better team on Saturday won in Knoxville. Now it’s time to start March Madness. KSR Today is getting this beautiful Sunday started by recapping the big win with a look at what’s ahead for John Calipari‘s team.

KSR recaps Kentucky’s win over Tennessee

Need some morning reading after the big SEC road win? KSR has everything you need to know from the best performance of the season. The hype for this team keeps growing after an 8-1 finish in SEC play.

Smash those links.

• Kentucky takes down No. 4 Tennessee
• Highlights of Kentucky’s win in Knoxville
• Reed Sheppard saved Kentucky again
• Five takeaways from Kentucky’s win
• Stacey Sheppard hugs Justin Edwards
• Meaningful stats from the big win
• Ugonna Onyenso set the tone on defense
• Antonio Reeves has 7 consecutive 20-point games
• Justin Edwards has turned the corner
• Kentucky passes first March test

More postgame coverage on KSR’s YouTube Channel

Want to know what John Calipari, Antonio Reeves, and Justin Edwards said after Kentucky’s win over Tennessee? We’ve got you covered. KSR’s Steven Peake and Jack Pilgrim also jumped in front of the camera at Thompson-Boling Arena to record another Rapid Reaction.

Smash that play button. Subscribe. Hit that like button as we talk about some Kentucky hoops.

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Kentucky locks up No. 2 seed for 2024 SEC Tournament

Kentucky did not get the greatest news to begin Saturday. Arkansas found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Alabama blowing a six-point lead with under two minutes left. Alabama hit two big threes late to force overtime and left Coleman Coliseum victorious.

That essentially meant that Kentucky had to beat Tennessee on Saturday to secure a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. The Wildcats did just that. Since every team in the four-way tie entering Saturday won, UK secured the tiebreaker due to pool play results. South Carolina was the real loser dropping all the way from the No. 2 seed to the No. 5 seed due to Alabama’s comeback win.

The final standings are locked in and the bracket has been revealed.

1. Tennessee (14-4)
2. Kentucky (13-5)
3. Alabama (13-5)
4. Auburn (13-5)
5. South Carolina (13-5)
6. Florida (11-7)
7. Texas A&M (9-9)
8. LSU (9-9)
9. Mississippi State (8-10)
10. Ole Miss (7-11)
11. Georgia (6-12)
12. Arkansas (6-12)
13. Vanderbilt (4-14)
14. Missouri (0-18)

We will see you in the Music City later this week.

Karter Knox is a Cat

Nearly seven years after his brother committed to the Kentucky Wildcats, four-star small forward Karter Knox did the same.

The top-20 prospect announced his pledge to Kentucky on Saturday night during halftime of Game 2 in the Overtime Elite Finals. The 6-foot-6 class of 2024 small forward is the sixth commit for John Calipari this recruiting cycle. That ranks as the No. 2 overall class trailing Duke.

“Coach Calipari, he sent a lot of people to the league, and I want to be a pro,” Knox said during his announcement. “He told me he’s gonna make me a pro. I’m ready to hoop and win a national championship.”

There was some buzz for Louisville when Knox announced his decision date but that quickly dissolved as we got further into the weekend. Kentucky now has four top-25 commits in the fold as Knox joins Jayden Quaintance, Boogie Fland, and Billy Richmond.

Another big day in college basketball

The final regular-season weekend is not over yet. We’ve still got a good Sunday slate to get through as there are small conference tournaments and multiple Big Ten games on the schedule.

• Nebraska at Michigan | Noon ET | Big Ten Network
• Wisconsin at No. 3 Purdue | 12:30 p.m. ET | FOX
• Ohio State at Rutgers | 2:00 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network
• Bucknell vs. Colgate (Patriot League Semifinal) | 2:00 p.m. ET | CBS Sports Network
• Austin Peay vs. Stetson (ASUN Championship) | 2:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2
• Drake vs. Indiana State (Missouri Valley Championship) | 2:10 p.m. ET | CBS
• Lehigh vs. Boston U (Patriot League Semifinal) | 4:00 p.m. ET | CBS Sports Network
• Michigan State at Indiana | 4:30 p.m. ET | CBS
• No. 12 Illinois at Iowa | 7:00 p.m. ET | FS1
• Maryland at Penn State | 7:30 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network