Mark Pope has steered the ship to two straight wins, despite losing Jaland Lowe for the year and Jayden Quaintance indefinitely. It hasn't been easy, but Kentucky needs to keep pushing forward as it is still firmly on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.
The Cats need to rack up Quad 1 wins, and they get a massive chance to grab one tomorrow afternoon in Knoxville. We've got everything you need to know, including how to watch the pivotal SEC clash down below.
How to watch: Kentucky vs. Tennessee
- 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
- Streaming: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV (Blue & Orange Plan)
- 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
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie: Gillespie barely comes off the floor in league play, averaging 39 minutes per game. He is putting up 19 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals in conference games so far. Kentucky must keep those steal totals down.
- Nate Ament: He can be streaky, but the freshman took over late against the Aggies. He can get pushed around physically, but Tennessee uses other players to bang in the post so Ament can operate. He is averaging 15 points and 4 rebounds in four SEC games so far.
- Wildcard — Bishop Boswell: Averaging 6 points and 6 rebounds a game, Boswell is the "glue guy." The Vols need a third scorer to step up, and he may be the one to do it.
- Malachi Moreno: For Kentucky, the answer is pretty clear: they need someone besides Otega Oweh to step up. That could be anyone, but the one who matters most is Moreno. The big man, fresh off sinking the game-winner against LSU, is going to be instrumental. Tennessee collects the 2nd most offensive rebounds per game in the country. Kentucky needs to make them a "one-and-done" offensive team. That is a team task, but it starts with tough box-outs from Moreno.
What's at stake for the Cats and Vols
Tennessee is fresh off a grueling double-overtime battle with Texas A&M and will be desperate to beat the Cats for a second straight time after ending Kentucky's NCAA journey last season. The Cats, of course, will have revenge on their mind for that same game.
Both teams are looking to avoid a 2-3 start in SEC play, which would be a tough hole to dig out of. More importantly, both teams are currently 2-5 in Quad 1 games and desperately need a résumé-boosting win if they want to keep climbing the NET rankings.
Series history shows Kentucky dominance
Kentucky is 163-79 all-time against the Vols, including a 60-53 winning record in Knoxville. That is probably why all Tennessee fans are just angry all the time; it’s tough to see those numbers against your top rival.
The Vols did win the last matchup, but neither team is exactly lighting it up right now, making this a toss-up.
Players to watch
Tennessee
Kentucky
Key to the game: Rebounding
Tennessee is not a great shooting team, but they absolutely pound the offensive glass. They lead the country in offensive rebounding percentage.
If Kentucky wants to limit Tennessee, it cannot allow second-chance points. They have to clean the glass and generate some easy buckets of their own in transition. If the Vols get multiple shots per possession, it will be a long afternoon in Knoxville
Prediction
Tennessee and Kentucky both need a win in the worst way. However, the Cats have yet to show they can put together a full 40 minutes of high-level basketball, and I am not sure they will be able to do it against the Vols on the road this time. If they don't play a complete game, they won't win this one.
Score Prediction: Tennessee 75, Kentucky 63