Short-handed Kentucky basketball puts depth on display in SEC road win against Tennessee

Posted by author January 29, 2025 Basketball

Ansley Almonor and Koby Brea, forced to start due to injuries to usual starters Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr, combined for 30 points.
Kentucky’s win snapped Tennessee’s 11-0 home win streak and marked the Volunteers’ first home loss since the 2023-24 season.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tuesday was Game No. 20 of the season for Kentucky basketball.

In its previous 19 contests since the 2024-25 campaign commenced, UK never sported a starting five featuring Ansley Almonor and Koby Brea.

Until Tuesday, that is.

Forced into the lineup because of injuries to usual starters Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr, Almonor and Brea delivered in a top-15 matchup versus bitter rival Tennessee.

The newfound starters combined for 30 points as the Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak, topping the Volunteers, 78-73, at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Kentucky entered Tuesday ranked No. 12 in both the USA TODAY Coaches and the Associated Press Top 25 polls; Tennessee was No. 8 in each of those rankings.

But thanks to Almonor and Brea, UK (15-5, 4-3 SEC) handed UT its first home loss of the season after starting 11-0. Coincidentally, the Vols’ (17-4, 4-4) last home defeat prior to Tuesday also came at the hands of the Wildcats: Kentucky earned a hard-fought, 85-81 victory in the regular-season finale for both teams during the 2023-24 campaign.

This game didn’t bear much resemblance to that matchup. That day, stars shined bright — Reed Sheppard and Antonio Reeves had 27 points apiece for Kentucky, while Dalton Knecht poured in 40 for Tennessee — on Rocky Top.

Ten months later, unsung heroes Almonor and Brea took center stage.

It’s not as if either isn’t accustomed to shouldering responsibility, of course.

Almonor combined to start 65 games the past two seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson. Brea notched only 10 starts for Dayton last season — but he played starter minutes. He averaged 29.1 minutes a night for the Flyers while scorching the nets from distance, leading the nation in 3-point percentage (49.8 on 100-of-201 shooting).

That largely had been Brea’s role this season, too. He began Tuesday sitting second nationally — and in the SEC — in 3-point accuracy at 46.4, trailing only Missouri’s Caleb Grill.

Brea showcased that skill again Tuesday, sinking all three triples he attempted (part of a 5-for-5 shooting effort from the field in which he finished with a team-high 18 points).

Almonor, while far more accustomed to starting at FDU, had gamely assimilated to his off-the-bench role for coach Mark Pope’s club. But he proved he can answer the bell when called upon, ending with 12 points. Every one of his points were courtesy of long-range buckets, as he went 4 of 7 beyond the 3-point arc.

Almonor and Brea couldn’t have picked more fortuitous timing for their performances.

When Butler will be cleared to return from his shoulder injury is uncertain. Carr, who has battled a back injury for weeks, played just two minutes Tuesday; the only statistic he recorded was a turnover.

Almonor and Brea’s outings demonstrated the depth UK possesses — and that it should be just fine, in the short term, while Butler and Carr continue to recover.

With its two-game road swing in the Volunteer State — UK lost to Vanderbilt in Nashville last week — behind it, Kentucky gears up for one of the most highly anticipated games in the history of Rupp Arena: the return of former coach John Calipari.

Now at Arkansas, Calipari’s new team is struggling. The Razorbacks are 12-7 overall and have dropped six of their seven conference games. They have a midweek bye; their last game was a 65-62 home setback to Oklahoma over the weekend.

Saturday night’s tilt in Lexington is set to begin at 9 p.m.

ESPN will handle the national television broadcast.

This story will be updated.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.