Kentucky pulled off its biggest win of the season. And the Cats celebrated like ‘family.’

Settling in for his postgame interview with a gaggle of reporters, Justin Edwards got to his spot and turned to face the cameras, a big smile already on his face.

Before he could say a word, a voice shouted frantically from the back hallways of Thompson-Boling Arena.

“Don’t start yet!” the voice yelled, still several feet away but clearly getting closer to the media scrum. And then a blue-and-white clad blur flashed through as the crowd made way, embracing Edwards in a celebratory hug.

Stacey Reed Sheppard held on to the hug for a few moments, let go and smacked Edwards on the chest in an act of congratulations. The Kentucky freshman’s smile got even bigger.

The Wildcats’ regular season had ended just a few minutes earlier. The final score was still looking over the orange-and-white court belonging to the SEC champions.

Kentucky 85, Tennessee 81.

Edwards wasn’t the only one smiling.

The Volunteers had clinched the SEC regular-season title three days earlier with a win at South Carolina, but the Wildcats have something bigger in mind. And that score on the board Saturday evening in Knoxville was yet another sign that maybe this Kentucky team can pull it off.

The scene in the back of Thompson-Boling was a party atmosphere.

Reed Sheppard’s mother — a former UK basketball star herself — had also run up on John Calipari and hit the Kentucky coach with a hug a few minutes before getting Edwards. Fans in blue and white — the few who were actually able to make it into the sea of orange Saturday — gathered around the entrance to the Kentucky locker room.

Tre Mitchell was limited to eight minutes on the court as he continues to work his way back from injury, but he was grinning from ear to ear near one of the tunnels leading out to the arena. Reed Sheppard himself — one of the stars of Saturday’s show — wasn’t available for interviews, but he came to the designated area anyway. Phone in hand, Sheppard worked his way in next to the reporters and asked questions of Edwards and Antonio Reeves.

For these Wildcats, there was plenty of reason to smile.

A month ago, Tennessee had come into Rupp Arena and proven itself the better team, beating the Cats 103-92 — a relatively embarrassing result on Kentucky’s home court.

On Saturday, the Cats returned the favor.

Both teams started out slow — UT missed eight of its first nine shots — but the pace got a little quicker and the shots fell a little more often as the first half progressed. Kentucky led by as many as 11 points before halftime, but the Vols narrowed UK’s lead to 33-29 by the break.

Tennessee’s Josiah-Jordan James — one of four UT seniors honored before their final home game — hit a 3-pointer on the Vols’ first possession of the second half to cut the Cats lead to one, and it looked like it would be game on from there.

It was, for a bit.

And then Rob Dillingham finished off an and-one play, Sheppard nailed a 3-pointer and Reeves hit another — nine points in 58 seconds to give the Cats a 51-39 lead.

Thompson-Boling Arena — the closest SEC arena to Lexington but the one with the least amount of blue in it this season — fell as silent as it had been all day.

And then Dalton Knecht — a 40-point scorer Saturday and perhaps the front-runner for SEC player of the year — tallied seven points in a little over a minute, a span that also saw Calipari get hit with a coaches’ box warning and a technical foul. The Cats’ lead was down to eight, but the Vols missed the free throw.

And then Sheppard hit another 3-pointer. And then Edwards did the same.

Rick Barnes called a timeout, his team down 14 with 11:44 left. The crowd quieted down again. Well, most of it did.

“Go Big Blue! Go Big Blue!” went the chant, audible in the arena despite so few in blue. Boos from the Tennessee faithful quickly drowned it out.

Just three and a half minutes later, Tennessee had cut Kentucky’s lead from 14 to five, and the building was as loud as it’d been all game. Now it was Calipari’s turn to call a timeout.

A few minutes after that, Sheppard hit two consecutive 3-pointers. On the second, he crossed up all-SEC defender Zakai Zeigler, waited for the Tennessee player to get out of position, and then let it fly. Nothing but net. Kentucky 80, Tennessee 69. 2:35 on the clock.

Sheppard backpedaled down the court, nodding his head and grinning the whole way.

“I just know — every time he shoots, it’s goin’ in,” Reeves said after the game.

With a little more than a minute left and Kentucky up nine points, that chant started up again.

“Go Big Blue! Go Big Blue!”

It was drowned out by boos once again. But it took a little longer this time. Many of those in orange were already heading for the exits.

The Cats led by as many as 11 points with less than a minute left before Tennessee unleashed one final flurry. They cut the lead to three, but James missed a 3-pointer that would have tied it with 11 seconds left. Rob Dillingham hit one free throw on the other end to ice it, the wildest ride in college basketball giving its fans one more roller-coaster moment in a regular season filled with them. This time, the Cats came out on top.

Sheppard and Reeves both finished with 27 points. Sheppard made 7 of 10 shots from 3-point range and added six rebounds and five assists. Reeves was 3-for-5 from deep and led the Cats with seven boards. Edwards had 16 points, including 13 in the first half. He was 4-for-7 on 3-pointers with six rebounds and three assists.

Kentucky was 15-for-29 from 3-point range and 16-for-18 on free throws.

“They’re the most explosive offensive team in the country,” Barnes said to begin his postgame press conference, his tone suggesting that it shouldn’t even be a question at this point.

In this one, the Cats dropped 52 points in the second half. But they also matched Tennessee’s physicality in the first half, beating the Vols to 50-50 balls and smothering them at the rim, with Ugonna Onyenso and Adou Thiero leading the way there. UT shot 8-for-32 from the field before halftime.

That was another step forward for a group of Wildcats whose physical fight has been questioned by their coach and whose defense has been questioned by pretty much everybody.

This season has been quite the journey, a fun ride but one filled with setbacks.

Edwards talked about his own breakthrough two weeks ago after scoring 28 points in a 117-95 rout of Alabama in Rupp Arena. Following that game, the freshman talked about his own mental struggles amid what had been a relatively disappointing season for him as a player. He said he was in a better place, and he credited Sheppard with helping him through his toughest times.

On Saturday, after that hug, the 20-year-old from Philadelphia talked more about the support he’d found in Lexington.

“Just the season I’ve been having, she’s been one of the people that’s been really rooting for me,” he said of Sheppard’s mom. “And she’s been telling me, ‘Just stay the course.’ … That’s why she’s so hype for me.”

Edwards went on to say that both families had grown close over the past several months. He said his younger siblings, who also now live in Lexington, had been going to the Sheppard house throughout the season.

“They welcomed us with open arms,” he said. “… They treat us like family. That’s why we’re so close.”

Later on, while Edwards was wrapping up his interview session, his mother — the woman who he credits with getting him this far — walked over to listen in, waiting patiently for a hug of her own.

“Hold on, Mom!” Edwards shouted at her playfully.

A few feet away, Reeves — the self-described “big brother” of this Kentucky basketball team — had a look of pride on his face as he surveyed the scene. Teammates and their families celebrated in seemingly whichever direction he turned.

“Man, he’s come a long way,” Reeves said of Edwards.

The win gave Kentucky the 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, which means the Wildcats also earned a double-bye into the quarterfinals and won’t have to play until Friday night.

Calipari was asked if he told his team that bye was on the line before Saturday’s game.

“No,” he said. “You know the only tournament that matters to me. After this weekend, that tournament. So no, we never discussed it. I don’t even know if they know.”

Whether the players knew who or when they were playing next, nobody asked. The Cats will go to Nashville in a few days in search of their first SEC Tournament title in six years. That would be nice, but that’s not the goal.

The NCAA Tournament comes after that. March is here, and these Cats are rolling.

“The confidence of these last couple of games — we’ve found it now,” Reeves said. “And this is the right time to find it. Because going into these postseason tournaments, you’re gonna need that. You’re gonna need that confidence coming in, because there’s a lot of good teams you’re going to be playing.”

How scary can these Cats be when the Madness truly begins?

“Very scary,” Reeves said, still smiling as he looked around the room. “Because everybody on this team can play.”

Next game

No. 15 Kentucky vs. TBD

What: SEC Tournament quarterfinals

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Opponent: Ole Miss-Texas A&M winner

Where: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

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