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Playing the kind of gritty defense that was the first-year Kentucky coach's trademark during his days at Texas A&M, the Wildcats smothered No. 3 Tennessee 72-66 on Tuesday night, forcing even the perennially grumpy Gillispie to crack a smile as the final seconds ticked away.

''We're really getting tough,'' Gillispie said. ''I'm telling you they were tired going into the game (but) our guys really fought hard. They dug as deep as they possibly could.''

Patrick Patterson led Kentucky (8-9, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) with 20 points and eight rebounds. Ramel Bradley had 16 points and Perry Stevenson added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats, who were 24-of-28 from the free throw line and shot 49 percent from the field.

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