Kentucky proves it's human after all with stunning loss to Tennessee

Kentucky suffers its first SEC loss at the hands of unranked Tennessee

Riding seven straight SEC wins with a margin of victory better than 20 points per game, it was reasonable to wonder if or when Kentucky might trip in the regular season.

Turns out, John Calipari's turned human in an 82-80 loss at Tennessee on Tuesday night.

As a 10.5-point favorite rolling into Knoxville, the No. 4 Wildcats rallied from an 11-point deficit against Tennessee, cutting it to three with 5.4 seconds left. But the Volunteers closed in veteran fashion, holding off UK's run with clutch free throws to nail down the upset.

So how did the Vols pull it off? I'll break it down to you with the four factors that played into the outcome.

1. Kentucky sharpshooter Malik Monk had a rough night

The guard has had a historically good freshman season. He's on pace to be the nation's second-leading freshman scorer, and could realistically break the SEC freshman record for most 3-pointers in a season.

But Tuesday was not his night, which is crazy because he finished with 25 points. That's what happens when you rely so heavily on one player to carry you. Monk took one third of Kentucky's total shots, and more than half its 3-pointers. He was forcing shots, had a team-high 5 turnovers and was generally ineffective for the majority of the second half after scoring 17 first-half points.

2. Tennessee's bench brought the juice

The disparity between the two benches couldn't be more baffling. Tennessee's reserves outscored Kentuckys by an absurd 37-4 margin.

It's Kentucky that's recruiting the most McDonald's All-American's, right?

The Vols' subs were led by high-flyer Admiral Schofield, who finished second on the team in scoring with 15 points. Only four of which came outside the paint. Which leads me to perhaps the biggest point ...

3. Kentucky was inexplicably soft in the paint

Power forward Bam Adebayo is a solid 6-foot-10, 260 pounds. Yet Tennessee found a way to operate in cramped quarters with him defending, scoring 42 points in the painted area. The Wildcats also gave up eight second-chance points.

With the length, athleticism and talent Kentucky owns, specifically in the paint, that's an astounding accomplishment by Tennessee.

4. Tennessee held Kentucky out of its transition.

With his athletes on the floor, Calipari's best offense is running the transition with De'Aaron Fox and finishing possessions quickly. Heck, Kentucky runs the 11th quickest offense in terms of adjusted tempo, according to KenPom.

Against Tennessee, it still averaged only 13 seconds per possession. But the Volunteers, for the majority of the game, held the Cats transition game in check. Specifically, they limited Fox's transition opportunities and hustled back on the other end with an overall excellent defensive night. They forced Fox into some difficult spots, forcing 14 total turnovers, and limited Kentucky to 9 fast-break points.