For the second time in program history, the University of Tennessee men's basketball team won on the road in a matchup of AP top-10 teams, as it earned a 103-92 victory Saturday night over No. 10/8 Kentucky.

Behind a co-career-best 26-point, career-high 13-assist double-double from junior guard Zakai Zeigler and a career-best 26 points from fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James, fifth-ranked Tennessee (16-5, 6-3 SEC) claimed a wire-to-wire triumph over the Wildcats at Rupp Arena. The win moved head coach Rick Barnes to 7-1 against AP top-10 Kentucky teams in his nine-year tenure at Tennessee.

The Volunteers, who hit 3-pointers on their first two possessions, raced out to an 8-0 edge after just 1:53. Tennessee hit three of its next six long-range shots and upped its advantage to 12 points, 19-7, after only 5:36 of action.

After a 1-of-5 start from the field, Kentucky (15-6, 5-4 SEC) made seven of its next 10 shots to cut the margin to three, 23-20, with 11:16 on the clock. The Volunteers responded with a 13-2 surge in just 2:38 to take a then-game-best 14-point advantage, 36-22, with 8:26 to go before the break. The Wildcats countered with a 12-2 run in 2:07 to make it a four-point game, 38-34, with 4:58 left in the frame.

The margin remained the same at the break, as Tennessee carried a 46-42 cushion into the locker room. Both teams excelled from deep in the opening 20 minutes, as the Volunteers went 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) and Kentucky shot 8-of-17 (47.1 percent). Zeigler scored 13 first-half points, all in the opening 14 minutes on a perfect 5-of-5 clip, including making all three of his 3-pointers, while freshman guard Rob Dillingham notched 17 points and shot 5-of-6 beyond the arc for the Wildcats.

After Kentucky opened the second half with a 3-pointer to trim Tennessee's edge to one, the Volunteers scored 13 of the next 15 points over three-and-a-half minutes, including hitting three 3-pointers, to go back up by a dozen, 59-47, with 15:05 to go.

The visitors went on to stretch their lead to a game-high 16, 76-60, with 9:22 to go after scoring seven straight points in 51 seconds, four from sophomore forward Tobe Awaka followed by a run-capping 3-pointer by fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi. The Wildcats answered once again, this time with an 11-2 burst in 3:23 to make it 78-71 with 5:23 on the ticker.

The final response of the game, though, came from the Volunteers, who soon went on a 7-1 surge in just 66 seconds to go back up by 13 points, 89-76, with just 2:13 to play.

Kentucky never got closer than eight the rest of the way, as Tennessee claimed the 11-point decision, matching its largest road win ever against the Wildcats. The 103 points marked the most by a visiting SEC team against Kentucky since Jan. 25, 1992, with that the only other triple-digit occurrence in at least the last 76 seasons (1948-2024).

Zeigler finished the night 8-of-11 from the floor, 3-of-6 beyond the arc and 7-of-10 at the stripe. He had 13 assists and just two turnovers, while notching a game-best three steals. He became the second SEC player in at least the last 25 seasons (1999-2024), per ESPN Stats & Info, to record even 25 and 10 on the road against the Wildcats. The Long Island, N.Y., native also became the seventh player in at least the last 62 seasons (1962-2024) with 13-plus assists against them at any location.

James equaled Zeigler's point total, as his 26 came on a 9-of-18 mark from the field, including a 4-of-9 ledger from deep. He went 4-of-4 at the line and pulled down five rebounds in his third-career win at Rupp Arena.

Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht totaled 16 points and hit all five of his free throws, while Vescovi, who also earned his third road victory over the Wildcats, scored 11 points and shot 3-of-4 on 3-pointers. Junior forward Jonas Aidoo added 11 points, a game-best 11 rebounds and a team-high three blocks, giving the Volunteers two players with a double-double.

Dillingham finished the night with a game-leading 35 points, as he shot 14-of-20 from the floor, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. His showing marked the top point total by a Tennessee opponent since Jan. 26, 2020.

Fifth-year guard Antonio Reeves tallied 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting, but Tennessee limited him to a 1-of-5 clip from long range and a 2-of-9 start from the floor. Freshman guard Reed Sheppard added 16 points and went 4-of-7 from deep.

Both teams shot at least 48.0 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent beyond the arc while making a dozen 3-pointers. Tennessee shot 36-of-74 (48.6 percent) overall and 12-of-30 (40.0 percent) from long range, while Kentucky notched 34-of-69 (49.3 percent) and 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) respective clips.

The Volunteers, though, had a 42-30 edge in paint points, as well as shot 19-of-26 (73.1 percent) from the line compared the Wildcats' 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) ledger.

Tennessee now heads home to Knoxville, Tenn., where it takes the court Wednesday at 7 p.m. against LSU, live on SEC Network from Food City Center.