UK Basketball: 3 Keys vs Tennessee, TV/ radio, prediction

Handling the pressure

Tennessee is going to come out and play some pressure man-to-man defense and try to rattle the young Cats. To make matters more complicated, the crowd is going to be loud, rowdy, and energetic. It’s going to be incredibly important for the young Kentucky team to handle the pressure of both Tennessee’s defense and that of the crowd. I expect to see Coach Rick Barnes mix in some matchup 2-3 zone as well, especially if the Cats have success getting to the basket early in the game. Tennesse is going to be athletic and they are going to guard hard. The Cats will have no trouble, right from the start, realizing they’re in for a tough battle. If the UK basketball team can protect the ball and feed off the energy of Thompson-Boling Arena, BBN will be fine.