Kentucky erases a 14-point deficit to take down No. 25 Tennessee 74-71

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As far as regular season matchups go, its hard to match the dramatic theater brought upon by a bitter rivalry. Somehow, some way the energy inside Rupp Arena on Saturday night exceeded that.

For the first time in 30 years, University of Kentucky unveiled denim uniforms in a celebration of its 1996 national champion men's basketball team.

The 2025-26 version of the denim 'Cats lived up to their billing, overcoming a 14-point halftime deficit to take down No. 25 Tennesee 74-71 thanks to a game-winning three-pointer from Collin Chandler.

The Wildcats came out of the gates with a lot of energy, led by Otega Oweh fresh off a star performance against Oklahoma. A pair of quick buckets helped give Kentucky an early 8-7 lead.

From there, the Volunteers started to catch fire from behind the three-point line. Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament hit four three-pointers each to extend the lead to as many as 12 in the first half.

While Tennessee's offense excelled, Kentucky wasn't able to match that same pace. The Wildcats shot just two-for-nine from beyond the arc and were out rebounded 21 to 14 against the Volunteers in the first half.

Just like a month ago in Knoxville, Kentucky founds itself in a double digit hole entering the locker room. This time, an even larger deficit trailing 47-33 at halftime.

Eerily similar to a month prior, Denzel Aberdeen brought a burst out of the locker room. The senior guard nailed a wing three-pointer to narrow the deficit to 55-47 with 15:16 left in the second half.

Mouhamed Dioubate followed that up with a pair of smooth buckets off the bench to narrow the Volunteers lead to six points at the under 12 media timeout.

A nice backdoor feed to Otega Oweh would narrow the Tennessee lead to two points which forced Volunteers' head coach Rick Barnes to take a timeout. Oweh finished the night with a team-high 21 points on 10 for 17 shooting. Kentucky trailed 57-55 with 9:25 remaining in the second half.

Oweh would help give Kentucky the lead thanks to a spectacular up and under finish, but the Volunteers would take it right back on the other end with 5:59 left in the second half.

Mark Pope took a timeout to organize his team with 1:41 left in the game down 67-66. Out of the break, Aberdeen drove to the bucket and drew a shooting foul. After hitting both free throws, Kentucky held a 68-67 advantage.

Ament answered on the other end with a gutsy take to the basket of his own. The freshman had a career-high 29 points, and gave Tennessee a 69-68 lead with 49.9 seconds remaining.

Following another Pope timeout, Tennessee's defense collapsed on the inside leaving Collin Chandler wide open to sink a go-ahead three-pointer with 33 seconds left and Kentucky hit its free throws late.

The Wildcats now get a week of rest before travelling to the Sunshine State to take on No. 17 Florida. Tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

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