Rob Dillingham grabs career-high 35 points plus Boxscore and Other Tennessee Game Notes

 

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KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY
FEB. 3, 2024
ATTENDANCE: 20,265

Final Score: No. 5 Tennessee 103, No. 10/8 Kentucky 92

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 15-6 on the season, 5-4 in the Southeastern Conference.
• Tennessee is 16-5 overall, 6-2 in league play.
• UK leads the series 160-78, including 94-20 in games played in Lexington.
• Next for Kentucky: Kentucky plays at Vanderbilt on Tuesday. Game time is 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT in Nashville) and it will be televised on SEC Network.

Team Notes

• Kentucky scored 92 points tonight.  UK entered the game third in the nation in scoring at 88.6 points per game.
• Kentucky had 17 assists and nine turnovers, an assist/turnover ratio of +1.89.
  • UK entered the game fifth in the nation with a +1.82 ratio.
  • UK entered the game 13^th in the nation in assists per game with 18.0.
• Kentucky had six blocked shots tonight.  UK entered the game fifth in the nation with 6.1 blocks per game.
  • Since the North Carolina game on Dec. 16, the first game that UK had two of its seven-foot players available, the Wildcats have averaged 7.1 blocks per game.
• Kentucky is 74-28 in bounce-back games (following losses) under Coach John Calipari, including 4-1 this season.
• J. Wagner did not play because of injury. Kentucky has not had all players available for any game this season.

Player Notes

• Rob Dillingham had a career-high 35 points, including career bests for field goals (14) and 3-pointers (six).
  • It is his fourth 20-point game of the season.
• Antonio Reeves had 21 points, his 11^th 20-point game of the season.
  • He has landed in double figures in every game but one this season.
• Reed Sheppard had 16 points and six assists.
  • He has scored double figures in 15 games this season.
• Ugonna Onyenso led the Wildcats in blocked shots with six while adding two points and four rebounds.

Coach John Calipari

• Calipari has an 847-259 (76.6%) all-time on-court record, including 402-119 (77.2%) at Kentucky.
• Calipari is 71-51 against Associated Press top-25 ranked teams while at Kentucky, including 14-15 vs. AP top-five opponents.
• Calipari is 21-16 vs. Tennessee.
• Calipari is now 398-130 (75.4%) all-time in conference games, including 190-64 (74.8%) in the SEC.

In the First Half

• Kentucky started Reed Sheppard, Antonio Reeves, Justin Edwards, Tre Mitchell and Ugonna Onyenso for the first time.
  • It is the seventh different lineup of the season and fourth straight game with a different lineup.
• Aaron Bradshaw and Adou Thiero were UK’s first substitutions at the 16:36 mark.
• Tennessee scored on its first three possessions to go ahead 8-0 and lengthened the lead to 19-7.
• UK closed within 23-20 but UT replied with a 13-2 spurt for its largest lead at 36-22.
• Dillingham led the Wildcats with 17 points, already surpassing his career-high for 3-pointers with five.
• Kentucky rallied again, narrowing the margin to 46-42 at halftime.
• UK is now 2-4 this season when trailing at halftime.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starting lineup.
• UK got the first basket of the half on a 3-pointer by Sheppard, closing within 46-45, the closest UK had been since the first possession of the game.
• Tennessee responded with a 13-2 run, restoring a 12-point lead at 59-47.
• Tennessee eventually had its largest lead at 16 points, 76-60.
• Kentucky closed within seven points on three occasions but got no closer.