Loss to Vols a bump in the road for Cats

Loss to Vols a bump in the road for Cats

By Keith Taylor/Sun Sports Editor
March 1, 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Kentucky didn’t go down without a fight.

The second-ranked Wildcats overcame a double-digit deficit in a hostile environment but came up short in a 74-65 loss to Tennessee Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Kentucky (27-2, 12-3 Southeastern Conference) came out sluggish and Tennessee capitalized. The early onslaught by the Volunteers — an 18-0 run after falling behind 4-0 — was enough to overcome a late comeback by the Cats who displayed the ability to claw back despite the first-half collapse under pressure.

“We (didn’t) quit,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “That is all I can ask of my team. To think about that, and have a chance to win on the road, I am stunned.”

Tennessee built the 19-point advantage early in the second half, but Kentucky didn’t back down without a fight. The Wildcats tied the score at 65-65 with 2:10 remaining, but Tennessee recovered from the near-disaster and scored the last nine points as the Cats struggled to make shots while in desperation mode.

Although a loss isn’t a preference, Calipari said the setback wasn’t a bad thing and something his team can learn from heading into the final week of the regular-season. The Kentucky coach said it was another teaching tool.

“It was a great learning experience for our team,” he said.

The Kentucky coach said the Cats learned two lessons from the setback. The first example was a lack of response following the Vols’ hot start. Cousins said Kentucky failed to counter the Vols’ first half effort.

“We came out with no energy and they hit us in the mouth,” he said. “They had much-better intensity than we did and it showed.”

Calipari also faulted himself for not conducting a shoot-around before the rare noon tipoff against the Vols. He said a shoot-around will be conducted in the future regardless of the time frame, especially in the NCAA Tournament.

“We need to get up and have a shoot-around,” he said. “I don’t care if we (played the previous Thursday) or not.”

The loss likely won’t hurt Kentucky when the polls are released today. Top-ranked Kansas, Kentucky and third-ranked Purdue lost over the weekend.

The Cats have a road encounter at Georgia Wednesday, followed by a home finale against Florida at noon Sunday. The players are confident they can recover in time for the postseason.

“This loss is another good loss for us,” Kentucky freshman guard John Wall said. “We learned that we have to come out and play with intensity from the start for a full 40 minutes.”

Sometimes that’s all it takes.

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