GET VIP ACCESS TO GOVOLS247 WITH A FREE 7-DAY TRIAL

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Let’s take a quick look at Three Points from No. 15 Tennessee’s 61-59 win at No. 24 Kentucky on Tuesday night at Rupp Arena.

———————————————

TENNESSEE TOUGH

It took more than one thing for Tennessee to win its first game at Rupp Arena since 2006, and to complete its first regular-season sweep of Kentucky since 1999.

More than anything, though, it was one thing: toughness.

Tennessee was tougher than Kentucky. Tougher physically and tougher mentally. Tougher in Knoxville and tougher in Lexington.

Rupp is the toughest place to play in the SEC, if not all of college basketball, and this Kentucky team isn’t bad. It’s not one of John Calipari’s best teams, but it’s not as bad as some seem to believe, either, and it’s probably a team people won’t look forward to playing in the postseason. And it’s a team with two players — freshmen P.J. Washington and Jarred Vanderbilt — who match up really well against Tennessee star Grant Williams and contain him as well as anyone in the league.

Williams fought his way to 10 points Tuesday night, but he shot just 1-of-3 from the field and consistently had to get rid of the ball in the face of swarming, well-timed double-teams from a defense that had done its homework. The Vols were just 5-of-21 from 3-point range as a team, and they never looked in rhythm offensively. They adjusted to Kentucky’s length as the game progressed in Knoxville, but they never seemed totally comfortable in Lexington.

Tennessee junior wing Admiral Schofield

This Tennessee team battles, though. It’s a team full of industrial-strength grinders, and it defends well enough to give itself a chance to overcome offensive lulls — even long offensive lulls, in some cases.

Any win in Rupp is a great win, but Tuesday’s win was a really great win for the Vols because of how they achieved it. Neither team led by more than four points, and neither team led by more than one possession until late in the second half. It was a 40-minute grind in one of the nation’s most hostile venues — an arena full of fans who tried hard to rally their team and were able to do it on several occasions. The Vols’ win at South Carolina was a lot like that, too. Only tough teams win on the road in those kinds of situations, and this Tennessee team is really tough.

———————————————

STONE-COLD LAMONTE TURNER

Tennessee’s offense struggled for much of Tuesday’s game, and it wasn’t just the lack of good opportunities for Williams that caused it. The Vols usually have one of the better assist-to-turnover ratios in college basketball, but they had just 10 assists and 13 turnovers against the Cats.

A team that’s usually good and often lethal from 3-point range struggled throughout Tuesday’s game, as well. Tennessee was just 5-of-21 from long range.

But then there was Lamonte Turner.

Tennessee’s instant-offense man off the bench kept the Vols in the game in the first half, and he reemerged late in the second half to hit a shot few in Knoxville will forget for a while. His 3-pointer in the face of Kentucky’s Quade Green with less than 26 seconds left turned a two-point deficit into a one-point lead and left Rupp shellshocked.

(Want the latest scoop on Tennessee football and basketball? Make sure you're in the loop — take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Vols newsletter now!)

As frustrating as Turner can be at times, he’s also absolutely fearless, and he’s never afraid of taking the big shot. He wanted the ball on that possession. As soon as he passed the ball to junior forward Kyle Alexander and saw the big man hesitate and turn down an open look, he sprinted toward him to get the ball back, and he made something happen late in the shot clock. He wasn’t afraid, and that’s well more than half the battle in a situation like that.

Turner finished with a game-high 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, and he bailed the Vols out in a big way when they needed something special.

Tennessee sophomore guard Jordan Bowden

It wasn’t a great night for Tennessee’s other two main ball-handers — sophomore point guard Jordan Bone and senior point guard James Daniel — but Barnes has options with this roster, and he can put combo-guard Turner on the ball any time in a pinch. And Turner’s playmaking ability in the clutch is becoming impossible to deny.

———————————————

WELCOME BACK, JORDAN BOWDEN

It wasn’t just Turner, though.

Sophomore guard Jordan Bowden reemerged in a big way in Tuesday’s second half. The 6-foot-5 Knoxville native scored 11 of his 13 points and pulled down five of his eight rebounds in the second half, and he also collected two steals — including one in the closing seconds that was every bit as important as Turner’s 3-point dagger.

Bowden recognized that Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wanted to kick the ball cross-court from the paint to Green in the corner, and he left his man to make a play on the ball. He timed his jump and got a hand on the pass, tipping the ball to himself, corralling it and firing a downcourt pass to Admiral Schofield for a dunk that gave the Vols a 61-58 lead with 4.1 seconds left.

It’s no secret that Bowden is a dangerous perimeter shooter, but his athleticism, awareness and work ethic on the defensive end have been huge for the Vols this season. That and his discipline on the offensive end are why he starts and plays as many minutes as anyone on the team. Barnes trusts him.

Bowden’s scoring production remains erratic, but his discipline in other areas of the game tends to be remarkably consistent. And when he’s demanding the ball and scoring offensively, he’s a really good player.

Tennessee wouldn’t have won Tuesday’s game without Bowden.

———————————————

Contact Wes Rucker by email at wes.rucker@cbsinteractive.com or ON TWITTER, or FOLLOW GOVOLS247 ON FACEBOOK.