The first matchup of Tennessee-Kentucky this season has arrived. The Volunteers will host the Wildcats this afternoon at Food City Center, trying to string together a couple of SEC wins for the first time this season.
Tennessee got the job done somehow against Texas A&M, coming back late to force two overtimes. Nate Ament took over the game down the stretch, giving the Volunteers a much-needed conference win after a 1-2 start. Rick Barnes went with a smaller lineup against the Aggies with some success in the second half. We’ll see if that continues today.
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Kentucky, armed with the highest paid roster in college basketball, is doing virtually nothing with it. Outside of a win over St. Johns, Kentucky has yet to win a meaningful game yet. They’ve dropped games to Louisville, North Carolina, Michigan State, Gonzaga, Alabama and Missouri to this point. Kentucky needed a huge comeback and a buzzer beater to beat LSU on Wednesday.
The Mark Pope era could use some positive momentum, but he’ll have to find it in a hostile environment today. Kentucky has had recent success in Knoxville though, going 5-5 against Rick Barnes at Food City Center.
Kentucky is still led by veteran guard Otega Oweh, who is averaging north of 15 points per game this season. The Wildcats currently rank 27th in KenPom, while Tennessee checks in at No. 18.
How to watch Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Time: Noon ET
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
TV Channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN App
Odds: Tennessee -6.5
