KNOXVILLE — The Vol Network Classics series returns Saturday.
The series, which has already re-aired the 1999 Fiesta Bowl game, in which the Volunteers defeated Florida State to win the inaugural BCS national championship game for the 1998 season, the 1986 Sugar Bowl and Tennessee’s 2001 victory over Florida, will turn its attention to the hardwood this week for a double feature.
This week’s games include the Vols’ 71-67 victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena and UT’s 103-84 victory over the Auburn Tigers in 1987. In that game, Tony White scored 51 points and broke Ron Widby’s single-game scoring record that stood for two decades.
Widby scored 50 points in a game in 1967.
Rupp Arena opened in 1976-77 and the Vols upset Kentucky in Lexington. The Big Orange, coached by Ray Mears, had four future NBA players on the floor including Bernard King, Ernie Grufeld, Reggie Johnson and Terry Crosby.
The Wildcats were coached by Joe B. Hall and also had four future NBA players. They were Jack Givens, Rick Robey, Larry Johnson and Kyle Macy.
The games will feature John Ward on the call and air at noon (ET) in Knoxville on WNML-FM 99.1 and WNML-AM 990.