Two SEC basketball teams who are going in opposite directions at the moment, Tennessee is set to host Kentucky on Saturday afternoon from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. The two teams played a total of three times a year ago, with the Wildcats winning in Lexington, 107-79, while the Volunteers won in Knoxville, 76-63, as well as in the SEC Tournament, 69-62.
Tennessee comes into Saturday ranked as the No. 5 team in the country according to the latest AP Poll, owning a 14-2 overall record, as well as a 4-0 mark in SEC play. The Volunteers have also won five consecutive games coming into Saturday, the biggest of which was an 87-53 home win over Mississippi State.
Led by the nation’s No. 1 team in defensive efficiency according to KenPom, Tennessee currently ranks No. 3 nationally by allowing only 53.4 PPG, and have four double-digit scorers in Santiago Vescovi, Olivier Nkamhoua, Julian Phillips, and Zakai Zeigler. The Volunteers are also averaging 75.5 PPG offensively, and have two additional prominent scorers in Tyreke Key and Josiah-Jordan James, each of which are averaging 8+ PPG.
As for Kentucky, the Wildcats have lost two straight against Alabama and South Carolina, and now hold a 10-6 overall record, as well as a 1-3 mark in SEC play. Dating back to mid-December as well, Kentucky has lost four of their last seven games, with the other losses having come to UCLA on a neutral court, as well as at Missouri.
Kentucky is averaging 76.3 PPG, while allowing 67.5 PPG, and are currently one of the SEC’s top three-point shooting teams at a combined 37.9% as a team. Leading the Wildcats is the defending National Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe, at 16 PPG and 13.1 RPG, while others such as Antonio Reeves, Cason Wallace, and Jacob Toppin are Kentucky’s other double-digit scorers.
Tennessee vs Kentucky SEC Basketball Prediction
As mentioned above, this is a matchup between two teams going in opposite directions, with the Volunteers likely being a favorite here playing on their homecourt. While the Wildcats should not be counted out entirely either, I’ll say that Tennessee takes the win to make it three-straight over Kentucky. Prediction: Tennessee 73, Kentucky 65
What Channel is the Tennessee vs Kentucky Game On?
Tennessee vs Kentucky will be played on Saturday, January 14 from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Tipoff is set for 12:00 PM ET on ESPN.
Tennessee vs Kentucky Live Stream
A live stream of No. 5 Tennessee vs. Kentucky can be found on fuboTV here.