Riding a two-game losing skid for the first time under Mark Pope, No. 12 Kentucky is also battling major health issues as it prepares to play No. 8 Tennessee on Tuesday night in Knoxville.

Grad senior point guard Lamont Butler was listed as "Out" on the SEC-mandated availability report for the matchup with the Vols. He joins his backup, senior point guard Kerr Kriisa, in that status column, while grad senior forward Andrew Carr is listed as "Questionable" after missing No. 12 Kentucky's previous game against Vanderbilt with lower back issues.

Butler has been averaging 13.2 points and 4.8 assists per game to go along with 1.8 steals on the defensive end of the floor. He is widely viewed as UK's most valuable player.

Carr is averaging 10.9 points and 5.6 rebounds despite battling the back issues for several weeks.

Kentucky (14-5, 3-3 SEC) must now find a way to overcome that adversity as well as the nation's top-ranked defensive unit in Tennessee (17-3, 4-3 SEC).

Freshman Travis Perry has been serving as Butler's primary backup in recent games, but the physicality that the Vols bring to the table may force the UK staff to use Jaxson Robinson in that role. He played it well earlier this season when Butler missed games against Gonzaga and Colgate.

Senior Ansley Almonor will likely get the bulk of Carr's minutes should the latter not be able to go. The Cats sacrifice four inches in height in that scenario, but Almonor has provided a spark from the 3-point arc in recent games, going 10-of-16 in his last four games.

Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.