Kentucky–Tennessee rivalry
| Kentucky–Tennessee rivalry | |
 Kentucky Wildcats
|
 Tennessee Volunteers
|
| Sports | Football, basketball, others |
| Originated | 1893 |
The Kentucky–Tennessee rivalry is a college sports rivalry between the University of Kentucky Wildcats and the University of Tennessee Volunteers. The rivalry between these two Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools, located about 173 miles (278 km) apart, dates to their first college football game in 1893, and has continued across all sports, with the men's basketball series gaining particular attention in recent years.
The football rivalry was once a trophy game known as the Battle for the Barrel, with the victors keeping a painted wooden beer barrel, one half each painted in Vol orange the other in Wildcat blue, until the next contest. The barrel tradition was discontinued in 1998 following a fatal alcohol-related car crash involving two Kentucky football players.
In contrast to the football series, Kentucky has generally dominated the basketball rivalry. The two teams first played in 1910. For the first couple decades the series was often back and forth, and the rivalry became particularly heated in the 1930s and 1940s, when the Volunteers were coached by John Mauer. Mauer had previously been the coach of Kentucky until he was let go and replaced by Adolph Rupp, adding additional bitterness to the rivalry. Under Meier, the Volunteers held their own against the ascendant Wildcats.
One particularly notable game was the 1972 match-up at Tennessee. Kentucky had won the previous game by two points, but Ray Mears' Tennessee team surprised the league by achieving the best record to that point. If Tennessee won, they would be sole SEC Champions and receive the conference's bid for the NCAA Tournament; however, a Kentucky win meant a shared SEC title, with Kentucky receiving the tournament bid via tiebreaker. Kentucky won the game 67-66 after a last minute missed Tennessee free throw, splitting the conference title and taking away Tennessee's hopes of a tournament bid.
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