clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Tubby Smith gave pep talk at shootaround, then celebrated with Wildcats after beating Tennessee

This comes just over a year after Coach Smith joined Rupp’s rafters.

Tubby Smith Drew Brown - Sea of Blue

Today was a very special day inside Rupp Arena as one of the greatest eras of Kentucky Basketball was honored, and the Cats made sure everyone went home happy thanks to a 66-54 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers.

At halftime, UK honored the 1996, ‘97 and ‘98 teams, who combined to make three Final Fours and win two national championships. They also went 6-0 vs. the Vols, so it was only appropriate Kentucky won today to complete the season sweep of their border rivals.

Prior to the game, UK got a pep talk from former head coach Tubby Smith, who helped the Wildcats win the 1998 NCAA Championship in his first year as the program’s head coach. He even had his jersey retired into Rupp’s rafters in December of 2021.

As you can imagine, Coach Smith got a strong ovation during the halftime festivities.

And of course, Coach Smith was there to celebrate the big victory during the postgame locker room.

Go follow our Twitter page and ‘like’ our Facebook page to get all of the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views. And Go Cats!