INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WATE) — Kentucky may have won the first two meetings during the regular season, but Tennessee won the all-important third matchup to advance to advance to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament for the second year and put an end to the Wildcats’ season.

The Vols were paced by Zakai Zeigler in the 78-65 win. Zeigler picked up a double-double with 18 points, 10 assists and a steal. Chaz Lanier was right behind him with 17 points, while Jordan Gainey was fantastic off the bench with 16 points.

Felix Okpara was a menace on the boards with 11 rebounds. He paved the way as Tennessee outrebounded Kentucky 34-24 with 14 offensive boards.

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Tennessee got on the board first with back-to-back free throws from Igor Milicic. However, Kentucky quickly took over the lead with a three-pointer from Koby Brea. The Wildcats’ three-point shooting is the reason the Vols fell in both regular-season matchups as Kentucky drained 12 triples in each game.

The Vols extended its lead to six out of the under-16 timeout break as Zeigler knocked down Tennessee’s first triple of the night for the 10-4 advantage.

Lamont Butler responded with a three-pointer to pull back within three, before Jordan Gainey answered back with one from beyond the arc to make it a six-point ballgame again. The three-point party continued as Darlinstone Dubar hit a triple to extend Tennessee’s advantage to 10 points.

Kentucky went on a short run to cut the deficit back down to six, but Okpara slammed home a dunk as he started the game 3-of-3 from the field. Chaz Lanier got a call on a driving layup and finished off a three-point play to give Tennessee an 11-point advantage with 8:26 left on the clock in the first half.

In the midst of that run, Zeigler picked up his 261st assist of the season, setting a new SEC single-season record.

Tennessee continued to take control of the game. Back-to-back layups from Cade Phillips and Zeigler gave Tennessee a 35-20 lead, forcing Kentucky coach Mark Pope to call a timeout.

However, the huddle didn’t change the Vols’ momentum. Out of the break, Gainey and Jahmai Mashack hit back-to-back jumpers to give the Vols a 19 point advantage with three minutes left in the opening half.

Kentucky and Tennessee traded buckets with time winding down in the first, but the Wildcats had the final say as Collin Chandler drained a three-pointer right before the buzzer to cut the deficit to 15 as Tennessee took a 43-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Zeigler led the way in the opening 20 minutes as he poured in 13 points, the only player from either team to hit double digits in the first half.

Kentucky’s Lamont Butler came out of the locker room and hit a jumper to pull the Wildcats back within 13. However, the Vols wouldn’t allow UK to get back into it and had a response every time Kentucky trued to cut into the deficit.

In that situation, it was Milicic who picked up his first points of the game with a layup in transition. He found success on that same play just moments later, extending the Vols lead to 17 with 15:54 left on the clock.

Back-to-back dunks from Andrew Carr cut the deficit down to 13, but as Tennessee did all game, the Vols found a response. A Chaz Lanier stepback jumper gave Tennessee a 51-36 lead.

A three-point play from Brandon Garrison made it a 12-point game, the smallest deficit Kentucky had since the first half. But Lanier responded with a deep triple, his first three-pointer of the night, to give the Vols a 58-43 advantage halfway through the second.

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Tennessee provided an exclamation point with a Okpara dunk followed by a Zeigler three-pointer off a Lanier steal. Mark Pope was forced to call a timeout as the Vols extended their lead to 17 points with 8:37 remaining in the game.

Chaz Lanier scored his 17th point of the night as he gave Tennessee an 18-point advantage with 3:33 left on the clock. Zeigler notched his 10th assist of the night, giving him a double double, as Milicic slammed home a dunk with 1:45 left on the clock.

This is the first time in program history Tennessee is playing in the Elite 8 in back-to-back seasons. UP NEXT: The Vols will face the winner of Purdue/Houston on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. (EST) with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

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