Kentucky–Tennessee rivalry
The Kentucky–Tennessee rivalry is a college sports rivalry between the University of Kentucky Wildcats and the University of Tennessee Volunteers. The passionate rivalry between these two Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools, located about 173 miles (278 km) apart, dates to their first college football game in 1893, and has continued across all sports, with the men's basketball series gaining particular attention in recent years.
| Sport | Football, basketball, others |
|---|---|
The football rivalry was once a trophy game known as the Battle for the Barrel, with the victors keeping a painted wooden beer barrel, one half each painted in Vol orange the other in Wildcat blue, until the next contest. The barrel tradition was mutually discontinued in 1998 following a fatal alcohol-related car crash involving two Kentucky football players.
Football
Basketball
Tennessee Volunteers
| |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| First meeting | 1910 Kentucky 20, Tennessee 5 |
| Latest meeting | 2020 Tennessee 81, Kentucky 73 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 230 |
| All-time series | Kentucky leads, 154–76 |
| Largest victory | Kentucky, 101–40 (1993) |
| Longest win streak | Kentucky, 20 (1950–1960) |
| Current win streak | Tennessee, 1 (2020–present) |
In contrast to the football series, Kentucky has generally dominated the basketball rivalry. The two teams first played in 1910.[1] For the first couple decades the series was often back and forth, and the rivalry became particularly heated in the 1930s and 1940s, when the Volunteers were coached by John Mauer. Mauer had previously been the coach of Kentucky until he was let go and replaced by Adolph Rupp, adding additional bitterness to the rivalry. Under Mauer, the Volunteers held their own against the ascendant Wildcats.[2] However, from 1945 to 1960, Kentucky won 31 out of 32 games, including a series-record 20 consecutive wins from 1950 to 1960. In the 2010s, the rivalry was relatively even, with the Wildcats holding a s slim 13 to 8 lead. In the last 15 meetings, the Volunteers have won eight games. Overall, Kentucky and Tennessee have met for a total of 230 times and Kentucky has the winning advantage of 156-74. [3]
One particularly notable game was the 1972 match-up at Tennessee. Kentucky had won the previous game by two points, but Ray Mears' Tennessee team surprised the league by achieving the best record to that point. If Tennessee won, they would be sole SEC Champions and receive the conference's bid for the NCAA Tournament; however, a Kentucky win meant a shared SEC title, with Kentucky receiving the tournament bid via tiebreaker.[4] Kentucky won the game 67-66 after a last minute missed Tennessee free throw, splitting the conference title and taking away Tennessee's hopes of a tournament bid.[5]
The rivalry has been among the biggest for both schools. To date Tennessee has more wins against Kentucky than any other team.[6]
Game results
The following table displays the complete list of game results. in the rivalry. Kentucky victories are shaded in blue, while Tennessee wins are shaded in orange.
| Kentucky victories | Tennessee victories | Tie games |
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gollark: Why don't we make *esorust*?
gollark: You can run it on microcontrollers and stuff fine, I Don't See The Problem:tm:
gollark: Okay then, it's *not* freestanding but I don't actually care.
gollark: These are things I have not delved deeply into, however.
gollark: I think the way it works is that `std` either reexports or redefines the `core` stuff.
See also
- Most-played rivalries in NCAA Division I FBS
References
- Trease, Danny (2002) Tales from the Kentucky Hardwood, p. 96. Sports Publishing. ISBN 1582613192.
- Randy Moore (2005), Hoop Tales: Tennessee Volunteers Men's Basketball, pp. 13-16. Globe Pequot. ISBN 0762737026.
- Hale, Jon. "Saturday's UK-Tennessee rivalry showdown is the biggest in 50 years". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- "Tonight in Knoxville: Vols Vs. 'Cats". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. March 8, 1972. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
- Wallace, Tom (2002) Kentucky Basketball Encyclopedia, p. 196. Sports Publishing. ISBN 1582615691.
- ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game (2009), p. 437. Random House Digital. ISBN 0345513924.
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