Just prior to hitting the road for Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday, Kentucky head coach John Calipari said it appears the Wildcats will enter their rematch with the Volunteers without grad transfer forward Reid Travis.

Travis, who sprained a knee in UK's win at Missouri on Feb. 19, has yet to go through another practice with the Cats.

"We’re going to see what he does today and tomorrow, but I doubt it," Calipari said. "What kids try to do is convince you that they can do this, and my whole thing (is) this is about the long season, not the short season."

In other words, it's more important that Travis is available to the Cats during the NCAA Tournament than the final games of the regular season, even while the SEC regular season championship and seeding for March Madness hangs in the balance.

"This will be a hard game whether he plays or not," Calipari added.

No. 4 Kentucky (24-4, 13-2 SEC) and No. 7 Tennessee (25-3, 13-2 SEC) find themselves in a three-way tie with LSU for the top spot in the league with three games remaining in the regular season.

Travis had 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots in the first matchup against Tennessee, an 86-69 blowout for the Cats at Rupp Arena on Feb. 16. The 6-foot-8, 238-pound forward was credited with setting the tone, physically, for UK in the win over the then No. 1-ranked Vols. The Cats held a 39-26 rebounding advantage in that game.

Tennessee standout Grant Williams finished with 16 points in the first meeting, but they did not come easy. He made only three shots from the field and padded his total with some late free throws. He is averaging 19.1 points per game on the season.

If Travis does not play Saturday, that defensive assignment likely falls to sophomore forward PJ Washington. Kentucky will also ask more of reserves EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards, who combined for nine points, 18 rebounds and three blocked shots on Tuesday in the Cats' win over Arkansas and for 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots last Saturday against Auburn.

“One guy’s misery is another guy’s opportunity, so Nick and EJ have a chance to step out," Calipari said. "... PJ may be the roughhouse guy.”

“On the defensive end, you just gotta be physical, not really try to let him catch the ball," Washington said. "And when he does catch the ball, you gotta play him early and keep your hand up. When he jumps to shoot, you gotta jump and contest as well.”

That could create a potential problem for the Cats. Washington enters the matchup as UK's leading scorer (15.0) and rebounder (7.5). If he encounters early or persistent foul trouble, the Cats will need others to step up on the road in a difficult environment.

Tennessee has won 24 consecutive games at Thompson-Boling Arena and three straight against UK. While the Cats have dominated the all-time series against the Vols, 155-71, they are just 54-51 in games played in Knoxville.