Kentucky learned the hard way that defeating a team three times could be the most difficult thing in sports. Eliminating this iteration of Tennessee from the NCAA Tournament is not far behind that list of difficult accomplishments. Kentucky also learned that lesson the hard way.
It’s an unquestionable two-year trend. Eliminating the Vols in March is similar to Kentucky shooting 50% from 3-point range in their first two encounters, both of which ended in victories for the Wildcats.
This time? Not so lucky.
These aren’t your dad’s Vols, as evidenced by Tennessee’s 78-65 triumph in the Sweet 16—the last time the UK had a single-digit deficit was with 8:55 remaining in the first half. You see, these aren’t even the Vols of your older brother.
You understand what I mean. Or, more accurately, who I am referring to. It was inevitable that your elder brother’s Vols would enter the NCAA Tournament, go through a protracted scoring drought, squander a lead, and lose to a lower-seeded team to conclude the season.
Every year, the Vols’ aspirations of earning their first trip to the Final Four used to end in agonizing fashion. You used to be able to watch Rick Barnes as the spokesperson for “that’s why this tournament is so hard,” whether that was at FAU, Loyola, or Michigan.
Barnes has totally transformed that in just two years. Consider it. In its third consecutive trip to the Sweet 16, Tennessee turned the tables on a Kentucky team that seemed to have its number. Chaz Lanier didn’t have to put on a valiant show either. Don’t misunderstand. Lanier, who scored 17 points and made 10 3-pointers in the Vols’ first two NCAA Tournament games, was confined to 1-for-6 from beyond the arc against UK, despite his continued great play.