Saturday’s early showdown isn’t your average SEC matchup, even here in the middle of January. Kentucky and Tennessee barely survived tough games earlier this week and now meet for the first time since their Sweet Sixteen matchup last season. With both hoping to propel themselves back into the SEC race, which team shows up in Knoxville?
It’s been far from paradise for Kentucky (11-6) at this point in the season, but Mark Pope and these Wildcats are hoping they can still be a very productive team this year. The Wildcats just survived LSU thanks to a Malachi Moreno buzzer beater, getting their first road win of the season. The long-range shooting has been a sore spot for Kentucky this year while recent lineups changes may or may not have had the intended fix.
Things are far from perfect at Tennessee (12-5) as well, as the Volunteers needed double overtime just a few days ago to survive Texas A&M and get back to 2-2 in the SEC standings. Tennessee got this season started on the right foot and have looked impressive at times, but have double-digits losses to Illinois, Arkansas, and Florida that have sullied their potential. Holding their home court becomes even more impressive in this difficult conference race.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee: When and Where
Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026, 12:00 pm ET
Location: Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee
Kentucky vs. Tennessee: Where to Watch or Stream
Watch: ESPN
Streaming: FuboTV
Kentucky vs. Tennessee: Betting Odds
Spread: Tennessee Volunteers -5.5, Kentucky Wildcats +5.5
Moneyline: Tennessee Volunteers -260, Kentucky Wildcats +200
Total: 145.5
Kentucky vs. Tennessee: Series History
All-time series: Kentucky leads 163-79
Last meeting: Tennessee 78, Kentucky 65 (March 28, 2025)
Projected Starting Lineups
Kentucky Wildcats
Otega Oweh (15.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
Denzel Aberdeen (11.6 ppg, 3.2 apg)
Malachi Moreno (9.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
Kam Williams (7.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
Andrija Jelavi (5.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
Tennessee Volunteers
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (18.2 ppg, 5.5 apg)
Nate Ament (15.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
Felix Okpara (7.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
Bishop Boswell (6.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
DeWayne Brown II (5.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
These two teams met in the Sweet Sixteen last season but in their current forms neither team resembles a second weekend team. Don’t think that this is the end of the story for either program, as both Kentucky and Tennessee have immense talent and can turn this thing around. Gillespie has been a godsend for the Volunteers and he and Ament are the reason this program is even afloat right now. While there’s desperation at Kentucky, this team has the firepower to get back on track, though losing Jaland Lowe for the season certainly hurts that potential as well.
Can the Wildcats turn around some of those shooting issues and get a very significant win away from Rupp Arena? After barely surviving on Tuesday, does Tennessee come out swinging and prove that they can be a top-level team in the SEC yet again?