Kentucky head coach John Calipari has implored his team to fight all season. Fight on defense. Fight for rebounds. Fight for loose balls. Fight through tough times.
On Saturday, the Cats needed to bring the fight even more. UK was without starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler and forward Daimion Collins, who both missed the game due to injury.
The task would be a tough one as the Cats visited fifth-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville, where the Vols had won 25 in a row at home.
Things did not start well for the Cats, who fell behind 8-0 early. But the Cats showed plenty of fight, scoring the next 10 points to lead for the first time. Later in the first half, Kentucky would trail 23-21, but the Cats fought back again, closing the half on a 12-3 run to lead 33-26 at the break.
Tennessee would make a run in the second have, as would be expected. The Vols scored five in a row in the middle of the second half to take a 43-41 lead.
But the Cats, again, showed fight. Antonio Reeves hit a three, then another jumper, giving UK a 46-43 lead with 7:54 to play.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.
