Kentucky’s sweep of Tennessee is complete. And two UK freshmen are taking a star turn.
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Game day: Kentucky 66, Tennessee 54
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Tennessee in Rupp Arena.
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Two teams that were supposed to be led by veterans — guys that have been through the grind of a college basketball season before — met for the second time in five weeks Saturday afternoon in Rupp Arena.
The combined starting lineups consisted of five seniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.
Kentucky’s 66-54 victory over No. 10 Tennessee was another collective effort from a UK team still battling injuries and fighting through the uncertainty of this 2022-23 season, but it was those two college newbies who arguably had the biggest hand in the Wildcats’ latest statement win.
Freshman guard Cason Wallace co-led the Cats with 16 points. He had six of UK’s 11 assists, added six rebounds and played all but the final 29 seconds of the first half. That was three days after logging 11 assists and one turnover in a crucial victory over Mississippi State, playing nearly all of that one, too.
Freshman forward Chris Livingston logged the first double-double of his college career — 12 points and 10 rebounds — sparking the Cats with big plays throughout the afternoon and even ripping a rebound away from college basketball’s rebounding king, Oscar Tshiebwe, at one point in the first half. This came three days after his epic second-half performance in Starkville helped push Kentucky over the finish line in a game with major NCAA Tournament implications.
After an unimpressive start to this season, then a resurgence — sparked by a win at Tennessee five weeks ago — and then another disappointing dip with back-to-back losses to Arkansas and Georgia, this Kentucky team appears to have found its way once again.
And it’s the freshmen that have helped drive the latest rally.
Coming into this game, Wallace was fourth on the team in scoring. Livingston was seventh. They’ve both shown flashes at numerous turns throughout the campaign, but — backs against the wall and time running out — both appear to be ready for starring roles down the stretch. It’s been a process.
“That comes with just being more comfortable with the group of guys that you’re out there on the court with,” Livingston said. “Building chemistry. When you’re closer with your teammates, you’re able to hold the guys that you’re with accountable. Because you know that they’re not going to take it personally — it’s going to be constructive. So I feel like that’s just a testament of how much closer we’re getting.”
This week started with Kentucky on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, according to some bracketologists. Before Wednesday night, the Cats had a 1-7 record in Quad 1 games, an important measuring stick for March Madness consideration. Now, the Cats are 4-7 in such games. They beat Mississippi State and Tennessee, and a previous victory over Texas A&M is now considered a Quad 1 win as the Aggies’ surge continues. And UK has two more opportunities for Quad 1s next week — at Florida on Wednesday and home against Auburn on Saturday — in games that the Cats are likely to be favored.
If the first win over Tennessee down in Knoxville saved this Kentucky basketball season, the one Saturday afternoon in Lexington possibly showed that this UK team is still capable of making a run in March.
In the first meeting, the Cats fell into an 8-0 hole out of the gate, rallied ahead in the first half but were locked in a close one until finally putting away the Vols at the end.
On Saturday, the Cats jumped on Tennessee in the first few minutes, building a 10-2 lead and never looking back. By halftime, Kentucky led by 20 points, dropping 39 on the nation’s No. 1-rated defense and giving up only 19 on the other end. The Vols never got within eight points the rest of the way.
It was UK’s first regular-season sweep of the Vols in 11 years. Afterward, the UK freshmen were talking points.
Livingston has now scored in double figures in three of his last four games, tallying nine points in the other one. He had just two double-digit scoring performances in UK’s first 23 games.
Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes was asked to opine on Livingston’s expanded role in recent weeks.
“I’m not sure what Cal was thinkin’ early in the year,” Barnes quipped. Laughter ensued. John Calipari and Barnes are close friends, and the Tennessee coach was clearly taking a playful jab at his counterpart, going on to explain that — as the season progresses — roles change, injuries happen, and players are given an opportunity to find their own niche.
“And I think he has,” Barnes said of Livingston. “He impacts the game. That’s one thing for certain.”
Wallace isn’t on the best shooting run of his life. He was 2-for-8 in that loss to Georgia last weekend. He was 1-for-13 at Mississippi State on Wednesday night. He was better, but still just 6-for-14, against the Vols. He’s a combined 0-for-15 from three in those games.
But with Sahvir Wheeler out — the senior point guard missed his fourth straight game Saturday — Wallace has taken over the playmaking role and run with it. Against Mississippi State, he had one turnover in 38-plus minutes. Against Tennessee, he went nearly 33 minutes of game action — from the 13:41 mark in the first half to the 55-second mark of the second — without committing a single turnover.
“And they’re a team that turns you over,” Calipari noted. He then critiqued various elements of Wallace’s game, clearly holding the projected NBA lottery pick to a higher standard, just like he has with past Kentucky players he thinks have blindingly bright futures.
“He is such a great kid,” Calipari said. “He takes all the shots I throw at him. It doesn’t faze him. He knows I care about him. I love him.”
Other Kentucky players stepped up, too. Tshiebwe tied Wallace with 16 points. Jacob Toppin made some big baskets, finishing with 11 points. Lance Ware provided a spark off the bench (as did freshman Adou Thiero).
But Wallace and Livingston were top of mind afterward.
Tshiebwe smiled widely at the mention of Livingston ripping that rebound away from him.
“I like how Chris is doing,” he said. “He’s a beast right now. We really need that from him.”
The reigning national player of the year also likes Wallace’s approach.
“He’s doing really good,” he said. “I love his attitude. Cason, no matter how he’s (shooting) … his attitude is always the same. He knows he’s a good player. He just stays focused. He’s making good plays. Even if he doesn’t score, he’s creating shots for people, and he defends.”
With Wheeler out for a fourth straight game, senior guard CJ Fredrick out for a third, and Calipari still clearly intent on shortening his rotation as much as he can, Wallace and Livingston are being pushed into bigger roles.
Wallace played 39-plus minutes Saturday. Livingston played 36.
“So we’re playing a lot of minutes,” their coach said. “But I’ll tell you, they never stopped fighting. They fought the whole time.”
Next game
Kentucky at Florida
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 18-9 (9-5 SEC), Florida 14-13 (7-7)
Series: Kentucky leads 108-41
Last meeting: Kentucky won 72-67 on Feb. 4 in Lexington
This story was originally published February 18, 2023 at 5:40 PM.
