Brick by Brick: Tennessee’s Ice-Cold Shooting Hands Kentucky a Win in Knoxville
![Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes and associate head coach Justin Gainey during the NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes and associate head coach Justin Gainey during the NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3575,h_2010,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/volunteer_country/01jjt6j1zprk8bgw5nvp.jpg)
Tennessee’s first home loss of the season comes courtesy of a brutal shooting night they’ll want to forget.
Tennessee fans woke up Wednesday morning still trying to process just how brutal of a shooting night the Vols had in their 78-73 loss to Kentucky.
It wasn’t just a bad night—it was an absolute disaster from the field, especially the three-point line. No. 8 Tennessee had every opportunity to win this game at home, but the Vols simply could not make shots, handing No. 12 Kentucky a victory that could have easily gone the other way.
There’s no way around it—shooting 34.7% from the field (25-of-72) is a recipe for disaster. Tennessee had 22 more shot attempts than Kentucky, yet still managed to score five fewer points. That is an almost impossible statistic to comprehend.
The Wildcats didn’t dominate in shot volume, but they shot 50% (25-of-50), making the most of their opportunities. Meanwhile, Tennessee just kept firing and missing, over and over again.
The three-point shooting was even more painful. Tennessee hoisted 45 threes and connected on just 11 of them—a miserable 24.4%. Kentucky, on the other hand, hit 12-of-24 from deep, an efficient 50%. The Vols shot nearly twice as many threes as the Wildcats but made one fewer. If Tennessee had just made four or five more of those attempts—which still wouldn’t have been a great shooting night—the Vols would have won comfortably.
Zakai Zeigler had one of the roughest performances of his career, going 1-of-11 from three and 5-of-18 overall. Chaz Lanier wasn’t much better, finishing 5-of-14 from the field and 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. Jordan Gainey and Darlinstone Dubar combined for just 3-of-15 from deep, further dragging down the Vols’ offense.
Tennessee had plenty of open looks, but the shots just would not fall.
Via @ESPNStatsInfo: Tennessee shot 13-for-41 on uncontested shots against Kentucky tonight -- including 8-for-33 on uncontested 3-pointers. The Vols were 7-for-16 on layups, per StatBroadcast. https://t.co/c948bdRhRz
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) January 29, 2025
Even free throws weren’t reliable. The Vols shot 12-of-17 (70.6%) at the line—not terrible, but not good either. Meanwhile, Kentucky hit 16-of-24 (66.7%), making four more free throws in a five-point game. Tennessee’s struggles at the stripe only added to the frustration.
And it’s not like Tennessee didn’t do other things well. The Vols dominated the offensive glass, pulling down 18 offensive rebounds and outscoring Kentucky 20-8 on second-chance points. They forced Kentucky into 13 turnovers while only committing five themselves. They had more possessions, more shots, more opportunities—but none of it mattered when the ball refused to go through the hoop.
Tennessee led 33-30 at halftime, despite shooting just 30.3% in the first half. That was the warning sign.
The Vols were in control, but their inability to hit shots allowed Kentucky to hang around. When the Wildcats found their rhythm in the second half, shooting 60.9% from the field, Tennessee had no response. Even with an 11-0 scoring run late in the first half and several chances to take control in the second, the Vols kept misfiring.
Had Tennessee shot even 38-40% from the field—still not great—the Vols probably win this game. If they had hit just a few more threes, they definitely win this game. Instead, they left the door wide open, and Kentucky walked right through it, handing Tennessee its first home loss of the season.
It’s a tough pill to swallow, not because Kentucky played out of its mind, but because Tennessee simply beat itself. The Vols had every chance to win, but when you shoot this poorly, you’re not going to beat anybody—especially not a talented team like Kentucky.
Now, Tennessee has to shake off this frustrating performance and figure out how to avoid another shooting meltdown before it costs them again.
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