Bracketology 2024: Duke, Kansas, and Boise State highlight the last weekend of the regular season

Kentucky (22-8, 12-5 in SEC) at Tennessee (24-6, 14-3 in SEC) Saturday, March 9, 4:00 PM ET, CBS

There's a big finale in Knoxville on Saturday when Tennessee hosts Kentucky. Not only is a regular season title on the line for the Volunteers after their 66-59 win over South Carolina on Wednesday but there are also important seed-line implications for the home team as well. As far as the Wildcats go, they will be looking to sew up a top-four seed in the SEC tournament.

Perhaps more important for Kentucky is the chance to put together a consistent 40 minutes against a high-quality opponent. Too often this season the Wildcats have looked like a team with a final four ceiling one minute and not worthy of the NIT the next. A road win over Tennessee would vault them up the seed list in a hurry.

Over the last month, Tennessee has built a resume that now has them on the top-seed line. They have a metric average of 4.25, eight road wins, three of which are in quad 1, and have a 13-6 over the first two quads. All that work heading into the season finale has earned them the last No. 1 seed as power conferences get into tournament play.

Kentucky is edging toward a No. 3 seed, but if they want to get there a win over Tennessee will help because entering the game they have just seven wins over the top two quads and their best road win aside from the game at Auburn is against Florida.