Kentucky vs Tennessee: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
The SEC offers us some fantastic match-ups this weekend. One of the most marquee bouts features the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers.
When: Saturday, January 6th at 9:00 PM Eastern Time
TV Schedule: SEC Network
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN
The Volunteers have had an extremely tough week as SEC play began. They dropped a road game to Arkansas last Saturday. At the time, Tennessee was ranked 19th in the nation. The loss to the Razorbacks dropped them down to number 23 in the rankings coming into this week. Next up was a home contest against Auburn, another solid team in their own right. The Tigers downed the Volunteers 94-84 in that game. Now, the Volunteers sit at 0-2 in the conference with the Wildcats coming to town.
A positive coming into this game for Tennessee is the play of Grant Williams, who has emerged as the team’s top offensive weapon. Though he struggled against Arkansas, scoring only 12 points on five of 13 shooting, he thrived against Auburn. The sophomore forward dropped in 22 points and eight rebounds on 53 percent shooting in the loss.
While they will surely be out of the top-25 come Monday, one has to figure the Volunteers will have a renewed sense of momentum after dropping two straight. Unfortunately for them, this is the best conference opponent they have played to this point. They could be fired up, but they will be facing a team better than both Arkansas and Auburn on Saturday night.
17th ranked Kentucky has survived through their first two conference games. They came out flat and were dominated early by Georgia last Saturday. However, a strong second half pushed the Wildcats to a victory over an underrated Bulldogs team. They then fell behind early on the road against LSU with the Tigers leading by five at half. Kentucky regrouped and outscored LSU by eight points in the second half, eventually winning the game 74-71.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has paced the team in SEC play so far, scoring 21 and 18 points in their two games. The staple of Kentucky’s game has always been their ability to distribute offense among their various players. This season is no different with five players averaging double figures in points.
Neither team shoots the ball particularly well from beyond the arc, but are relatively efficient inside the three-point line. The Wildcats hold the overall field goal percentage battle by shooting 48 percent to Tennessee’s 44 percent. Both teams give up roughly the same amount of points per game as well (70).
What may turn the tides in Kentucky’s favor is their ability to win the physical aspects of the game. They are a good rebounding team and they are always known for having tremendous athletes. The Wildcats’ ability to control the pace and physicality of this game gives them better odds to win the bout.
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How the Volunteers respond after losing two straight SEC games will also give a glimpse into how the game will shake out. The Thompson-Boling Arena should be rocking as any arena does when Kentucky comes to town. So, hopefully we will see some zip in the steps of the Tennessee players. However, they could just as easily come out flat and nonchalant which would lead to them getting dominated at home.
Every SEC game counts, especially in a league that could see six or seven teams make the NCAA Tournament. Both Kentucky and Tennessee are in line to make the field, but a marquee win in this game will surely bolster their odds,
Prediction: Kentucky 77, Tennessee 69