Kentucky takes big lead, downs No. 10 Tennessee
Cason Wallace and Oscar Tshiebwe each scored 16 points and host Kentucky rushed to a big lead and beat No. 10 Tennessee 66-54 on Saturday.
The Volunteers (20-7, 9-5 SEC) trailed by 20 points at halftime and lost in their first game since toppling No. 1 Alabama.
The Wildcats (18-9, 9-5) earned their first regular-season sweep of Tennessee since the 2011-12 season. Kentucky defeated the Volunteers 63-56 on Jan. 14 in Knoxville.
Wallace had totaled nine points in the Wildcats’ previous two games. Chris Livingston added 12 points and Jacob Toppin had 11.
Coming off their 68-59 home win over Alabama on Wednesday, the Volunteers failed to duplicate the same defensive prowess they displayed against the Crimson Tide, especially in the first half.
Tennessee struggled during the first 20 minutes and trailed 39-19. The Volunteers shot 31% in the first half whole going 1 for 13 from 3-point range.
Santiago Vescovi led Tennessee with 17 points, followed by Jahmai Mashack with 16.
Both teams were shorthanded. The Volunteers were minus starter Julian Phillips (hip) and senior reserve Josiah Jordan-james (ankle). Kentucky was missing senior guards Sahvir Wheeler (ankle) and C.J. Fredrick (ribs).
Big picture
Tennessee: The Volunteers were outrebounded 43-23 in their loss to the Wildcats in Knoxville and didn’t fare much better in the rematch. Kentucky held a 40-32 edge on the glass.
Kentucky: The Wildcats continue to make a late push for an NCAA tournament berth and notched their second straight Quad 1 victory and third of the year. Kentucky positioned itself for a higher seed in the SEC Tournament with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Alabama headlines list of early top seeds
Alabama has the edge on Houston for the No. 1 overall seed in the first glimpse at the potential top 16 seeds for the NCAA Tournament.
The committee that will select the field of 68 revealed its preliminary list of top teams Saturday, with the Crimson Tide taking the top spot over the Cougars due to a head-to-head road win in December — which committee chairman Chris Reynolds said made the difference.
Purdue and reigning national champion Kansas were the other No. 1 seeds.
If the order holds, it would mark the first No. 1 regional seed for Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide in program history. Alabama climbed to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll earlier this week for the first time since 2003, though the Tide lost to No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday in its first game with that ranking.
Texas, Arizona, Baylor and UCLA were the No. 2 seeds, followed by Tennessee, Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas State as 3-seeds. Indiana, Marquette, Gonzaga and Xavier rounded out the list as No. 4 seeds.
Reynolds said Creighton, Miami, Saint Mary’s and Connecticut were the top teams to miss the cut.
Selection Sunday is March 12, with First Four games beginning two days later. The Final Four will be held in Houston, with the semifinals set for April 1 and the championship game two days later.