Mark Pope and the Kentucky Basketball team pulled off a comeback victory over Tennessee on Saturday, winning 80-78 in Knoxville.
The Wildcats found themselves in a hole early, falling behind by as many as 17 in the first half.
However, a collective effort at both ends of the court led to the comeback victory.
One of Kentucky’s key players in Saturday’s win was freshman guard Jasper Johnson.
The Bluegrass native scored 12 points while making 5/6 shot attempts — including 2/3 from 3-point range — and dished out four assists with only one turnover in 19 minutes of action. Perhaps the best part of his outing was how Johnson contributed in different ways before and after halftime.
Because Denzel Aberdeen picked up two early fouls, which led to Johnson logging 13 first-half minutes (Aberdeen had nine) and scoring all 12 of his points to keep Kentucky within striking distance at halftime.
In the second half, Aberdeen played all 20 minutes, leading to a reduced role for Johnson. However, the former Woodford County product still played six second-half minutes alongside Aberdeen and had three assists in the final 11 minutes to help Kentucky rally to victory.
So while his scoring helped keep Kentucky afloat in the first half, it was his passing that helped the Wildcats get over the hump after the break and rally for a season-shifting win in Knoxville.
“He’s coming. He’s coming. He’s on his way,” said Pope of Johnson after the game. “He gave us a massive lift when we were stuck. I’m proud of him. His future in this game is so bright.”
With starting point guard Jaland Lowe done for the year following season-ending shoulder surgery, Johnson’s number is bound to be called more often as the season goes on.
The freshman guard answered the call on Saturday in one of the toughest environments in the Southeastern Conference, which should give Pope and the rest of the coaching staff confidence to continue looking Johnson’s way.
Kentucky moves to 12-6 on the season and 3-2 in conference play, including three consecutive wins after dropping its first two SEC games.
Next up is a home matchup with Texas next Wednesday, with tip-off scheduled for 7 PM ET and coverage on the SEC Network.
