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Rick Barnes has half of Tennessee basketball's all-time wins at Kentucky's Rupp Arena

mike wilson, knoxville news sentinel
·3 min read

Rick Barnes held up a fist with a slight grin Saturday. The Tennessee basketball coach had done it again at Rupp Arena.

The Barnes-led Vols stormed into Kentucky's arena and won for the fourth time in his nine seasons, blitzing the Wildcats 103-92. He has a 4-5 mark at Rupp Arena as the Vols coach.

Tennessee was 4-35 at Rupp Arena prior to Barnes' hiring in April 2015. UT's lone wins were in 1977, 1979, 1999 and 2006.

Rick Barnes' record at Rupp Arena

Barnes led the Vols on a roaring run at Rupp Arena from 2018-2021, winning three of four matchups in that stretch.

Tennessee won 61-59 powered by a late 3-pointer from Lamonte Turner on Feb. 6, 2018. It won 81-73 on March 3, 2020, erasing a 17-point deficit thanks to 27 points from John Fulkerson. Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer combined for 50 points in another comeback win, an 82-71 victory on Feb. 6, 2021.

Rupp Arena opened in 1976 and UT played its first game there in 1977.

Rick Barnes has success against ranked Kentucky teams

Barnes is 7-1 against Kentucky when the Wildcats are ranked in the top-10 of the Associated Press Poll. UT is 7-2 against UK when both teams are ranked and 4-1 when both teams are ranked in the top-10.

Saturday marked the third time Barnes has beaten a ranked Kentucky team in Lexington and the second time he beat a top-10 Kentucky team.

BALANCE: Tennessee basketball is more than Dalton Knecht. Lighting up Kentucky showed that.

What is Rick Barnes' record against Kentucky?

Barnes is 11-9 against the Wildcats. Here are the results for Barnes against Kentucky:

  • Feb, 2, 2016 in Knoxville: Tennessee 84, No. 20 Kentucky 77

  • Feb. 18, 2016 in Lexington: No. 14 Kentucky 80, Tennessee 70

  • Jan. 24, 2017 in Knoxville: Tennessee 82, No. 4 Kentucky 80

  • Feb. 14, 2017 in Lexington: No. 11 Kentucky 83, Tennessee 58

  • Jan. 6, 2018 in Knoxville: No. 22 Tennessee 76, No. 14 Kentucky 65

  • Feb. 6, 2018 in Lexington: No. 14 Tennessee 61, No. 24 Kentucky 59

  • March 11, 2018 in St. Louis: No. 20 Kentucky 77, No. 12 Tennessee 72

  • Feb. 16, 2019 in Lexington: No. 5 Kentucky 86, No. 1 Tennessee 69

  • March 2, 2019 in Knoxville: No. 7 Tennessee 71, No. 4 Kentucky 52

  • March 16, 2019 in Nashville: No. 8 Tennessee 82, No. 4 Kentucky 78

  • Feb. 8, 2020 in Knoxville: No. 16 Kentucky 77, Tennessee 64

  • March 3, 2020 in Lexington: Tennessee 81, No. 6 Kentucky 73

  • Feb. 6, 2021 in Lexington: No. 10 Tennessee 82, Kentucky 71

  • Feb. 20, 2021 in Knoxville: Kentucky 70, No. 20 Tennessee 55

  • Jan. 15, 2022 in Lexington: No. 17 Kentucky 107, No. 23 Tennessee 79

  • Feb. 15, 2022 in Knoxville: No. 13 Tennessee 76, No. 3 Kentucky 63

  • March 9, 2022 in Tampa: No. 11 Tennessee 69, No. 5 Kentucky 62

  • Jan. 14, 2023 in Knoxville: Kentucky 63, No. 5 Tennessee 56

  • Feb. 18, 2023 in Lexington: Kentucky 66, No. 11 Tennessee 54

  • Feb. 2, 2024 in Lexington: No. 5 Tennessee 103, No. 8 Kentucky 92

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rick Barnes' record vs John Calipari, at Kentucky: 4 wins at Rupp Arena