Mark Pope's Kentucky team made the trip to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in a game no one thought the shorthanded Wildcats would win. Despite this, without Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr,

Five things you need to know from No. 12 Kentucky’s gut-check 78-73 win at No. 8 Tennessee in SEC men’s basketball: 1. Mark Pope, slayer of rivals. There is a school of thought that one of a college head coach’s primary jobs is beating the teams his/her fan base dislike the most.

Heading into the matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers, not many believed Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats would win without point guard Lamont Butler. Andrew Car

Despite the comeback, things aren't all looking up for Rick Barnes and the Volunteers. Near the end of the first half, star guard Zakai Zeigler came up limping after suffering an apparent knee injury and immediately hobbled off the floor.

Kentucky got off to a very good start in this game, jumping out to an early lead and stunning the Tennessee crowd. However, the momentum didn't last long for the Wildcats as Tennessee quickly climbed back into the game and took a 33-30 lead at the half.

Kentucky's Ansley Almonor and Koby Brea, forced into the starting lineup because of key injuries, helped lead the Cats past host Tennessee on Tuesday.

Pope took over after John Calipari left for Arkansas in a stunning turn of events. However, Pope wasted no time winning over the fanbase, especially since he is a former Kencutky basketball player. Moreover, moves such as this one only helped Pope's case more, and fans were excited to see the fan interaction with the Wildcats coach.

Kentucky, playing without both of its veteran point guards, scored a major upset over No. 8 Tennessee in Knoxville on Tuesday night.

Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 78-73 win against the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville on Tuesday night:

The Kentucky Wildcats have lost two back-to-back games as the Alabama Crimson Tide won in Rupp Arena and the Wildcats lost to Vanderbilt in Nashville. As expect

Kentucky and Tennessee traded blows for the full 40 minutes in Knoxville. Ultimately, No. 11 Kentucky prevailed over the No. 8 Vols, 78-73.