Kentucky heads to Knoxville looking to get over .500 in the SEC for the first time this year. Win, and you find yourself in a good position heading into a murderer's row of a schedule. Coming up at the end of the month, Kentucky takes on Vanderbilt and Arkansas on the road. Lose, and Kentucky is in a very precarious spot heading into February. And they'll likely have to do without Jayden Quaintance.
Jayden Quaintance unlikely to play vs. Tennessee
Quaintance, who came back from an ACL injury in December, had a flare-up of swelling, and it just has not gone away. That resulted in the team and Quaintance shutting it down until the swelling goes away.
Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance (knee) is not expected to play tomorrow at Tennessee, source told @thefieldof68.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 16, 2026
Typical recovery for an ACL injury is around 10 months, and Quaintance is just right around that timeframe now, so it's not unexpected that some swelling would be happening. That doesn't make it any easier for the Cats, though.
Already without Jaland Lowe, the Cats are on the road in Knoxville against a Top 25 Tennessee team looking to get above .500 in the SEC themselves. Without Quaintance, Tennessee, which has the best offensive rebounding percentage in the country, will look to dominate the glass.
If Kentucky wants to walk away with a win, they have to block out at every position and will need every player to hit the glass hard.
As for Quaintance, there is no set timetable for him to return to the floor. Pope sounds hopeful that he will return to the floor, but there is no guarantee there. With a knee injury and a potential lottery pick, both sides will be extra cautious in how they manage this going forward.
How to watch: Kentucky vs. Tennessee Saturday
Date: Saturday, January 17th
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Venue: Food City Center (Knoxville, TN)
Channel: ESPN
Spectrum: Channel 28
DirecTV: Channel 206
DISH: Channel 140
Radio: Online: Stream live at UKAthletics.com or on iHeartRadio via WLAP 630.
Local FM/AM Stations:
Lexington: 98.1 FM / 630 WLAP
Louisville: 840 AM WHAS
London: 103.9 FM WWEL
Hazard/Pikeville: 101.1 WSGS
Madisonville: 93.9 FM WKTG
Announcers: Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas
Streaming options include: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV (Blue & Orange Plan)