Kentucky’s players talk about the first season of the Mark Pope era of UK basketball after it all came to an end in a loss to Tennessee on Friday night.

Here's a look at the postseason history between Tennessee and Kentucky men's basketball heading into their Sweet 16 matchup Friday.

The Kentucky Wildcats face the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 28.

Both the Wildcats and Volunteers scored wins by large margins in the early rounds of the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky was led by Lamont Butler, who finished the game with 18 points and six rebounds. UK ends year one of the Mark Pope era with its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019 and a 24-12 overall record on the season.

Great Crossing outscored Daviess 15-8 in the first period and 19-7 in the second for a 34-15 halftime lead. Then, the Warhawks opened the third on an 11-0 run that included a pair of Vince “Trey” Dawson III 3-pointers and two Moreno dunks that helped balloon the lead to 46-15 barely three minutes into the second half.

Friday in the Sweet 16 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tennessee will next play No. 1 seed Houston (33-4) in the Elite Eight on Sunday in Indianapolis. Tipoff between the Vols and Cougars is scheduled for 2:20 p.