This game felt more frustrating since Kentucky shot the basketball so well but couldn’t win as the defense continued to struggle. Tennesse had two players score 26 points, and neither of them were named Dalton Knecht. Coach Calipari still believes in his team, but changes will need to be made defensively to make a deep run in March.

We learned a lot of things from this game, some negative and some positive. The first thing we learned is that Kentucky needs to make their free throws. The Wildcats got to the line 19 times but only made 12 of them. Championship teams make their free throws, so Kentucky needs to be better from the charity stripe. The second thing we learned is that Adou Thiero needs to drive more. Thiero was taking the ball to the basket in this game and getting hacked. He went to the line eight times and made seven of them. Thiero played well in this game and had the best +/- on the team with a +6. Lastly, Tre Mitchell needs to play better. It is being reported that he is dealing with a back injury and fighting to stay on the floor. Mitchell has had back-to-back rough showings, leading to two losses. If Mitchell doesn’t play well, Kentucky loses.

Coach Calipari had this to say about how the big men played against Tennessee, “Here is what happens. Guard so that they are not pushing you out away and wanting to rebound. And two, so they get layups. Just don’t accept it. That’s the first thing. Again, we are still missing a lot of baskets two feet from the goal- that we’ve got to make. We had a dunk to Aaron that should have been a dunk in the first half. Those kind of plays, like I told them, we have to make those. Those are easy plays. We are a perimeter oriented team which should open up the lane for some of these guys. And we’ve got some stuff, but we’ve got to be better.”

Kentucky has now lost three of their last four and needs to get going before the postseason gets here, as it is quickly approaching.

Under Barnes, Tennessee has made five straight NCAA Tournaments, won at least 25 games four times and has been a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament four times. The Vols have appeared in The Associated Press Top 25 under Barnes 38 times, spending four weeks ranked No. 1.

Tennessee has 144 wins since the start of the 2017-18 season, the most in the Southeastern Conference. The Vols tied the school record with 31 wins in 2019 and reached the Sweet 16. They are 108-22 at home in Barnes’ eight seasons, going undefeated at home in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons.

“I’m thrilled that we can continue being a part of that positive momentum on campus,” Barnes said. “I’m extremely blessed and don’t take any of it for granted. It’s an exciting time to be a Vol.”