Kentucky had no shot to catch Tennessee for the regular-season SEC title, but the Wildcats still sent a resounding message ahead of tournament time.

Saturday evening, the Wildcats headed to Knoxville to face the No. 4 Volunteers. Tennessee had already clinched the SEC title and the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament next week, but that did not diminish the game between the two.

A back-and-forth first half saw Kentucky take a 33-29 lead into the break. The Wildcats also built a 14-point lead with 9 minutes left in the game, but Tennessee did not fold.

The Vols closed the gap with 8 unanswered points in the final minute of the game and even secured a chance to tie things up with 17 seconds remaining. However, Josiah-Jordan James’ 3-point attempt was no good and Rob Dillingham was able to ice things away at the free-throw line.

Here are the key takeaways from Kentucky’s 85-81 win:

Kentucky snags double-bye in Nashville

Without the regular-season title in play, the Wildcats still had plenty to play for on the final day of the regular season with seeding up for grabs in the conference tournament. Kentucky was 1 of 4 teams tied for second place in the SEC entering Saturday, and the Wildcats joined Alabama and South Carolina as teams from the group to notch a win. (Auburn is yet to play.)

That means final seeding in the SEC still hinges on Saturday night’s game between Auburn and Georgia, but the Wildcats are guaranteed they will not have to play until Friday next week. After a hot stretch to end the season, Kentucky will look to rest up and come out firing next weekend.

John Calipari’s group is firing on all cylinders at the right moment

Through the halfway point of the season, Kentucky looked like the same old Calipari squad: Extremely dangerous but equally vulnerable. That appeared even more true after losing at LSU late in the season.

The good news? That lapse of focus did not linger.

Sure, there is no way to make the loss to LSU look good, but Kentucky quickly got back on the horse. Instead of things snowballing, the Wildcats steamrolled Alabama, beat Mississippi State (a likely tournament team) on the road, and added wins over Arkansas and Vanderbilt before beating Tennessee.

Since losing to Gonzaga on Feb. 10, Kentucky went 7-1 down the stretch with 5 straight wins to end the regular season. Saturday’s win is the big statement of course, but the main takeaway is the Wildcats finally found their consistency.

And for anyone looking for a team with elite guard play in their brackets, Kentucky might be the team to back. Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard each scored 27 points apiece against the Vols while combining to shoot 10-for-15 from 3-point range.

As a team, the Wildcats shot 52% (15-for-29) from deep while a quartet of Reeves, Sheppard, Justin Edwards and Rob Dillingham combined to score 81 of Kentucky’s 85 total points. That’s a strong formula for March Madness, and fans can track all the postseason odds via SDS’s Kentucky online sportsbooks.

Dalton Knecht delivers a masterpiece in defeat

Entering the regular-season finale, Knecht already had 4 games of 35+ points this season with 3 of those coming in SEC play. He added another to his tally, setting a career-high mark with 40 points against the Wildcats.

Knecht produced a variety of ways Saturday, shooting 6-for-15 from 3-point range and 14-for-29 overall from the field. He goes down as the first Volunteer to reach 40 points in a game since Grant Williams in 2019.

Yes, it stings to have that type of performance in a loss, but it’s still a bright spot for Tennessee. Knecht’s scoring ability is a dynamic x factor for the Vols as they look to secure a 1-seed in March and finally put together a deep run in the postseason. Fans can track all the odds for the Big Dance with SDS’s Tennessee sports betting links and apps.