No. 5 Tennessee to Take on No. 10 Kentucky in Lexington

The No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers are on the road in Lexington, Kentucky, Saturday to play the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats at 8:30 p.m. in Rupp Arena.

Tough Losses

Tennessee (15-5) is coming off of a 63-59 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks Tuesday. The Vols trailed 30-26 at the half and were unable to comeback in the second half in the home loss. This was Tennessee’s second loss in its last seven SEC matchups.

Kentucky (15-5) fell 94-91 in overtime to the Florida Gators, Wednesday. Kentucky took a 41-36 lead into halftime, but a 3 from Walter Clayton Jr. with three seconds to go in regulation forced overtime. In the extra five minutes, the Wildcats were unable to match the Gators’ momentum. Florida went on an 8-0 run and kept the lead until time expired. This is Kentucky’s third loss in its last eight SEC matchups.

BIG @bradshawaaron25 SLAM!!! pic.twitter.com/9pOstG1xah

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 1, 2024

Key Players

The Vols will be relying on Dalton Knecht who leads the team with 402 total points this season and averages 20.1 points per game. Aidoo Jonas is behind Knecht, averaging 11.6 points a game. Additionally, Jonas leads the team in rebounds, bringing down 7.4 per game.

Dalton Knecht is the first SEC player with six straight 25-point games since Devan Downey (2009-10) and first DI player since the second-leading scorer in history, Antoine Davis (Feb. 2023).

Downey is also the last SEC player with 30-plus four times in five games (Jan. 2010). pic.twitter.com/MkMoEv3Qip

— Tennessee Stats & Info (@Vol_Stats) January 31, 2024

The Wildcats’ Antonio Reeves could be a key player in this matchup. Reeves leads Kentucky with 389 total points and averages 19.4 per game. Another Kentucky key player is Tre Mitchell who has 155 total rebounds and averages 7.8 per game.

Hungry for a Win

Historically, Kentucky leads Tennessee 160-77 in the all-time series, and the Wildcats have the advantage of being at home Saturday. However, Kentucky has been upset this season by Florida and UNC Wilmington in Rupp Arena. Both team’s are coming off of unexpected losses to unranked teams. As the tournament approaches, a win for either squad would look strong when seeding is decided and Selection Sunday arrives in March.

Tip-off is set for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in Lexington.