Collin Chandler’s Confidence-Fueled Clutch Gene Lifts Kentucky Over Tennessee in Historic Comeback
Kentucky basketball has been on a tear lately, and Saturday’s win over No. 25 Tennessee wasn’t just another tally in the win column-it was a statement.
Down 14 points at one point, the Wildcats stormed back inside Rupp Arena to complete the largest comeback in the building’s storied history. It also marked a season sweep of the Volunteers for the second straight year and gave Kentucky its eighth win in the last nine games.
And while Otega Oweh led the scoring charge with 21 points and Denzel Aberdeen sealed it with late-game free throws, it was Collin Chandler who delivered the moment fans won’t soon forget-a cold-blooded three-pointer with 30 seconds left that slammed the door shut on Tennessee’s hopes. It wasn’t just a big shot-it was the shot.
The dagger. The exclamation point on a night that showcased Chandler’s evolution into one of Kentucky’s most trusted closers.
So how did we get here? How did Chandler go from role player to go-to guy in crunch time? According to head coach Mark Pope, it’s all about something he calls “earned confidence.”
“Confidence is an interesting thing,” Pope said postgame. “You don’t have it.
No one gives it to you. You earn it.
You earn it by being resilient, by never giving up, by getting back up and going again. Our guys are earning confidence.
We’ve got a pretty faithful team.”
That idea of confidence being earned-not given-is something Chandler echoed, though he added his own layer: trust. For him, it’s not just about believing in yourself-it’s about knowing your teammates believe in you, too.
“It’s such a huge thing in basketball-confidence,” Chandler said. “You can’t totally do it on your own.
Some of it, sure, but a lot of it comes from other people helping you. It’s a group effort.
We’re all aware of each other’s confidence levels, and we try to build that up together.”
That team-first mentality has been a defining trait of this Kentucky group during its recent surge. And while Chandler is quick to downplay his personal heroics, there’s no denying he’s been at the center of some of the Wildcats’ biggest moments during this stretch.
Take Saturday’s shot, for instance. Chandler insists it wasn’t drawn up for him.
The play was designed for Oweh to attack the paint, which he did, collapsing the defense and kicking the ball out. Chandler was ready.
“I didn’t do anything special today,” Chandler said matter-of-factly. “Otega got downhill and sprayed it out for a three.
That’s what we do. It just happened to be at that time.
I think that’s what makes our team great, especially late in games-we don’t let the moment force us into something we’re not comfortable with.”
That poise-playing the moment without being consumed by it-has become Chandler’s calling card. And it’s not just about the shot against Tennessee. Look back, and you’ll see a pattern of big plays that all share the same DNA: calm, clarity, and a knack for doing the right thing at the right time.
In Baton Rouge, it was a buzzer-beating heave after a clean inbound. In Knoxville, he made a game-changing steal after overhearing the Vols’ play call.
Against Texas, he stepped up in the absence of Kam Williams and dropped a career-high. None of those moments came from forcing the issue-they came from staying locked in and letting the game come to him.
That’s not easy to do, especially for a sophomore. But Chandler has shown a rare ability to compartmentalize the pressure and treat every possession like just another rep. That mindset-what he calls “taking the fear out” of his shots-has led to multiple game-defining plays in recent weeks.
Of course, not everyone is buying his humble routine. After Saturday’s dagger, Oweh let him know exactly how he felt about it, shouting across the court that Chandler was a “bad mother-.” Even Coach Pope got in on the praise, saying Chandler had “ice in his veins” and that there was zero doubt in his mind the shot was going in.
Call it earned confidence. Call it trust.
Call it clutch. Whatever label you want to put on it, Chandler is proving he belongs in the conversation when it comes to late-game killers in college basketball.
And while he might not be one to soak in the spotlight, he’s at least willing to own one nickname: “Captain Clutch.”
Kentucky will need more of that composure and confidence this Saturday when they head to Gainesville to face No. 17 Florida in a game with real SEC title implications.
Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET on ABC.
Another big moment awaits-and something tells us Chandler will be ready.