As ugly as Kentucky's resume is by the program's usual standards, Kentucky's win at Tennessee earlier this year was one of the better wins by any team in the present college basketball season.
The Wildcats have a chance at the season sweep early Saturday afternoon when the Vols arrive at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky could dramatically improve its tournament resume with another Quadrant 1 win against a top-10 team, but the Volunteers will be looking for revenge and riding high after a win against top-ranked Alabama.
Here's how CI writers think about the game.
Jeff Drummond: This game is challenging to forecast due to the lingering question mark surrounding injured Kentucky guards Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick. I am assuming neither will be available for Saturday's game, so it's difficult to see the Cats finding a way to notch a second win over the Vols without them. Wheeler missed the game in Knoxville, but Fredrick was a major key for UK, hitting three timely 3-pointers and finishing with 13 points on the night. An even bigger concern is their absence putting a strain on healthy guards Cason Wallace and Antonio Reeves, who are currently logging way too many minutes. A guy like Adou Thiero may have to step up and provide some crucial minutes off the bench. The officiating crew assigned to this game will also a story to watch. Will it be a tight whistle or one that allows the Vols to play their physical brand of defense more liberally than UK may desire? Of course, a tight whistle could also come back to haunt the currently depth-depleted Cats. It just doesn't feel like a great matchup with UK, and UT will be inspired to avenge that loss in Knoxville. I'm seeing Tennessee 72, Kentucky 67 in the crystal ball.
Travis Graf: A lot of this game comes down to the injury situation for both players. Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick have been out for Kentucky while Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips have missed action for the Vols. Kentucky won a rock fight in Knoxville, but I’m expecting more points to be scored tomorrow afternoon. Tennessee was knocked off on buzzer beaters against Vanderbilt and Missouri in back to back matchups, but they bounced back to beat number one Alabama earlier this week. The Volunteers haven’t shot well from the outside besides the Missouri game and I think they knock down their fair share on Saturday, while Uros Plavsic does a good job against Oscar Tshiebwe. Kentucky’s backcourt plays well, but Tennessee imposes their will early and gets out to a big lead. Kentucky closes the gap, but the hole was too big to dig out of. Tennessee 74, Kentucky 68.
David Sisk: Let me begin by saying the home court advantage in the current state of this rivalry means little for whatever reason. This has been a very competitive series since Rick Barnes arrived in Knoxville. Having said all of that, Tennessee has won 2 of the last 3, and 3 of the last 5 in Rupp Arena. The two teams have also split the last four seasons. This has all the makings of a very tight game. Tennessee can struggle on the offensive end, but Kentucky doesn’t guard the two well which is what the Volunteers like to do. I don’t feel like Rick Barnes had much of a scouting report the first time around. They played to their strengths instead of Kentucky’s individual tendencies. That won’t be the case this time. Tennessee ended up attempting 21 three’s, and made only three of them. I don’t know that they’d shoot any better this time, but the shot selection will be better. I think they will also feast physically against a worn down and beat up UK backcourt. This may take a bigger gut check than what occurred in Starkville. Tennessee 69 Kentucky 64.
Justin Rowland: There are a lot of reasons to think Tennessee is the rightful favorite in this game. Rick Barnes usually wins a regular season game against John Calipari and they were disappointed in how they played that day and will want to win a game in this rivalry. Plenty of motivation to avoid a letdown after the win against Bama. But Kentucky is still going to be playing with a sense of desperation and Rupp is going to be a great environment. UK is better off against teams that are stronger on defense as opposed to offense and so that's a positive part of the matchup. Kentucky 68, Tennessee 66
