‘We know how big it is.’ Kentucky set for new high-stakes chapter in Tennessee rivalry
Kenny Brooks doesn’t know what it feels like to coach in a Kentucky-Tennessee game.
He’s never experienced the highs and lows of the — admittedly, historically lopsided (61-15) — rivalry. He can’t call to mind the energy of a blue-and-white presence at Thompson-Boling Arena and, through just 26 games at the helm of UK (21-5, 10-4 SEC), he’s only gotten a taste of how Big Blue Nation can impact a massive game.
However, Thursday evening in Memorial Coliseum won’t be the first time Brooks coaches against the Lady Vols, having played Tennessee four times during his time at Virginia Tech. But it will be his first brush with this historic feud. Now in his 23rd season of coaching, Brooks has a strong respect and admiration for the history of the Lady Vols’ program, and understands all that the late Pat Summitt meant to the game.
“We’re excited,” Brooks said. “When we played Tennessee when we were at Virginia Tech, we were excited because it was Tennessee. Pat Summitt. And my biggest thrill ever, coaching, one of them, is when I was a new coach at James Madison University, and I was walking and I saw Pat Summitt, and there was an empty seat. And she says, ‘Kenny, you want to sit here?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, she said my name.’ And that’s a big thrill. All right, that’s Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee. And so, we know how big it is.”
It’s difficult to “get” the Kentucky-Tennessee rivalry as an outsider; its stronghold on folks from Lexington to Knoxville, and beyond, is hard to conceptualize if one didn’t grow up around it, or play in it. However, just as the Virginia-born-and-raised coach viewed his first brush with the Battle of the Bluegrass back in November as a new opportunity to “embrace all things Kentucky,” Brooks is ready to experience the rivalry firsthand.
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Kentucky’s first-year head coach has spoken at length about the challenges that come with a coaching transition, whether that meant figuring out how to make his way to work without GPS assistance, otherwise navigating campus and handling moving-related tasks, or doing the best he can to get a team together. Before he knew it, Nov. 16 arrived, as did then-No. 18 Louisville.
“When we played Louisville when we were at Virginia Tech, we built that rivalry,” Brooks said. “But it meant something because we were there. And all of a sudden we’re thrust into it, and everyone’s like, ‘Louisville week, Louisville week.’ And we were like ... ‘OK,’ and, you know, we didn’t really understand it until we actually went through it. So everything’s been thrown at us, and we’re doing our best to embrace it in a very short amount of time.”
Yet again, fans and media are asking Brooks about his feelings toward a storied rivalry. Tennessee week is here once more, for the first page of a new chapter for each program; Brooks holds a 3-1 record against the Lady Vols during his time with the Hokies, including a 73-64 victory in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Hokies would go on to advance as far as a program-first Final Four before falling to eventual national champion LSU.
“And so when you say Tennessee,” Brooks said, “all right, we have history with Tennessee. Tennessee was a team that we beat to go to the Elite Eight. We beat ‘em twice that year. ... So there is some disdain, obviously, with Tennessee, but now we have to learn to embrace what it means for Tennessee and Kentucky. And we’ll do our best. We’ll cram this week, and we’ll get every nook and cranny, but like, honestly, we’re going to do our best to prepare for it, if we feel it or understand it from 20 years of being in it, or our first year in it, because it’s a very important game to us.”
Tennessee (21-6, 8-6) will also look a little bit different, as the Lady Vols welcomed former Marshall boss Kim Caldwell as the fourth head coach of Tennessee women’s basketball during the NCAA era last April following the firing of Kellie Harper. Ironically, Caldwell’s final game with the Thundering Herd was against Brooks and the Hokies in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Virginia Tech defeated Marshall 92-49, its all-time largest NCAA Tournament victory, behind a true team performance that included 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting, plus five rebounds and two assists from Clara Strack.
This week, Caldwell was complimentary of Strack, All-American and fellow Virginia Tech transfer Georgia Amoore — who she called one of, if not the, best point guards in the nation — and Brooks, and said, “He has that program doing exactly what he wants them to do.”
“I don’t think Clara missed a shot when we played,” Caldwell said. “And so just phenomenal players that are already established, and we’re going to have to put our foot on the gas a little bit more with our pressure.”
This year’s Lady Vols are battle-tested, and hold a 6-6 record against NCAA Quadrant 1 teams. Tennessee is undefeated in its 15 contests against teams classified as Quadrants 2, 3 and 4, and boasts five players averaging double-figure scoring — Talaysia Cooper (17.0), Jewel Spear (13.4), Ruby Whitehorn (12.5), Zee Spearman (11.8) and Samara Spencer (10.5).
On Monday’s edition of Brooks’ weekly radio show, he called Caldwell’s system “very unique,” what with its no-hesitation substitutions and heavy pressing, and noted the “fortunate” coincidence of having played against her in last year’s NCAA Tournament opening round. Though Brooks and his team knew the “substitution method” was coming, he “was still amazed” when Caldwell made substitutions “not even a minute into the game.”
“It was constant,” Brooks said. “Sometimes it can be good, though, because it keeps constant communication with your group. They’re always talking, they’re always talking about matchups. ... We’re going to have a couple of days to prepare for it and understand it. We’ll probably have more turnovers than we normally do have, but we’ll probably have more open looks than we normally get, too. So, it’s kind of like give and take.”
Tennessee is eighth in the Southeastern Conference standings, and will close its regular season with a home game against Georgia. The Lady Vols enter Thursday’s contest in Lexington on a four-game win streak, during which the team defeated Auburn, Ole Miss and Alabama in Knoxville and Florida in Gainesville.
The stakes for each team couldn’t be higher, as the coveted final double-bye in next week’s SEC Tournament remains up for the taking. The fourth-place Wildcats lost to third-place LSU on Sunday, and must face tied-for-first South Carolina in Columbia on March 2.
“We know how big it is,” Brooks said. “But it’s really big for us because it’s the next game, and it’s an opportunity for us to secure a spot where we really want to be in this SEC Tournament.”
Thursday
No. 11 Tennessee at No. 15 Kentucky
When: 7 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Tennessee 21-6 (8-6 SEC), Kentucky 21-5 (10-4)
Series: Tennessee leads 61-15
Last meeting: Tennessee won 78-62 on March 6, 2024, in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C.
