Madness is over for Kentucky basketball, which lost to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. But Mark Pope exceed expectations in Year 1.

The second-seeded Volunteers beat their border rival in the first all-Southeastern Conference Sweet 16 matchup since 1986.

Kentucky was nearly cooked in the first round of March Madness elimination after a stunning late surge by Liberty during the women's NCAA tournament.

Tennessee’s defense has been dominant through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. No. 15 seed Wofford was held to 62 points in the first round, and No. 7 seed UCLA failed to break 60 points. The Volunteers must forget the regular season losses against the Wildcats and keep the positive momentum rolling.

All four No. 1 seeds have advanced to the men’s Final Four for the first time since 2008 and only the second time in history. Saturday’s first national semifinal will pit the two juggernauts left standing from this season’s most dominant conference.