Kentucky basketball: Game preview, 3 keys vs Tennessee
By Drew Koch
Ring the bell Big Blue Nation. It’s time for round 2 between the Kentucky basketball team and the Tennessee Volunteers.
The Kentucky basketball team goes head-to-head on Tuesday night against their SEC rival Tennessee. The Volunteers won the first meeting between these two teams and the Cats will be looking for revenge. The Vols handled the then-ranked No. 17 Wildcats 76-65 in Knoxville. Moat Wildcat fans will remember that as the game when PJ Washington exited with severe cramps.
Kentucky led that game 37-29 at halftime, but were outscored 47-28 in the second half. It was the Wildcats first loss in conference play this season. The Cats are 5-3 since that meeting and in desperate need of a win at home against the surging Volunteers.
Coach Rick Barnes’ Tennessee basketball team is on a 5 game winning streak. The Vols are averaging 76.6 points per game during that stretch and have climbed to No. 15 in the AP Poll. Tennessee currently sits all alone in second place in the SEC, trailing Auburn by 2 games.
The Vols are no pushover, but they haven’t fared well against good competition. Tennessee has dropped games to Villanova, North Carolina and Auburn. The Volunteers would love a road win against the Cats to help boost their tournament resume` for March.
There is no bigger enigma in this college basketball season than the Kentucky Wildcats. UK has played phenomenal games against the likes of Louisville, West Virginia and Virginia Tech. However, the Kentucky basketball has looked woeful against teams they should beat, such as Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Missouri.
What does the Kentucky basketball team need to do differently this time around? Who will contain Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield? Will PJ dominate the Vols again?