Winners of seven of their last eight games, Kentucky Basketball looks like they have found a rhythm after starting 0-2 in the SEC.
Next up, the Tennessee Volunteers and their gaudy orange come to Lexington on Saturday.
Advertisement
One of the biggest games on this season’s schedule and one of the few marquee conference games at home, Rupp Arena will certainly be packed and provide one of the best environments of the year.
To add to the excitement, Kentucky is debuting new denim uniforms, which were unveiled on Friday.
On the other side, Tennessee has found momentum of its own, riding a four-game win streak that includes road wins against Alabama and Georgia. The Volunteers will be looking to push it to five and avenge their earlier loss to the Wildcats in January, though that was when Kam Williams was still playing before his foot injury.
This is also a big game in the SEC standings. Kentucky is tied for the most wins of any team at 7-3 in league play, while Tennessee is right behind at 6-3. Whoever wins this game will take a big step toward potentially winning the SEC regular-season championship, while the loser’s hopes of winning the league crown will take a major blow.
Advertisement
Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Physicality and Rebounding
Under Rick Barnes, Tennessee has become one of the most physical teams in the country, even looking like they are playing a different sport at times.
Prior to the first matchup, the coaching staff prepared the team with the most physical practices of the year, as described by Collin Chandler, who had noticeable cuts and bruises that weren’t from the game. In the last week-plus, the team has been using boxing gloves in practice.
Kentucky needs to be, and has shown the ability to match Tennessee’s physicality, and in no area will that be more important than rebounding, where the Volunteers rank third nationally.
Advertisement
In a physical rivalry matchup, don’t be surprised if there is another altercation.
Win the Turnover Battle
As they have many times this season, in Kentucky’s first matchup against Tennessee, the Wildcats got down double digits early. A big reason for that was turnovers, coughing up the ball five times in the first 10 minutes, compared to Tennessee’s zero.
Tennessee’s defense is the second-best in the SEC, and they will be prepared to avenge their first loss. Kentucky needs to come out as focused as they have in the last two matchups and not dig themselves an early hole through turnovers.
Denim
The biggest storyline surrounding this game, off the court, is the unveiling of Kentucky’s newest version of the “denim” uniforms that the 1996 championship team wore 30 years ago.
Advertisement
Three decades later, the once-disliked uniforms have become highly anticipated. Kentucky guard Collin Chandler talked to the media earlier this week, giving his review of the new threads.
On a scale of 1-10?
“I’ll give them a 10. Of course,” said Chandler. “I think the fan base will love it. It’ll be a good time to reminisce.”
Rumors are that Mark Pope will bring his denim to his sideline look as well. Will we see Pope on with an all-denim, Canadian tuxedo look?
Players to watch
G Ja’Kobi Gillespie 6-1, 188 lbs
F Nate Ament
F Felix Okpara 6-11, 242 lbs
-
Time: 8:30 PM ET on February 7, 2026
-
Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
-
Announcers: Tom Hart and Dane Bradshaw will call the action.
-
Replay: WatchESPN and the ESPN network (check local listings)
-
Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky favored by 1.5 points with an over/under of 143.5 points. As for the analytics, they have the game as a coin flip, with the majority giving Kentucky the advantage as the home team. EvanMiya gives Kentucky the best chance, at 56.8%, followed by ESPN (56%) and KenPom (53%). BartTorvik has the Wildcats as the underdog at 43%, while DRatings gives them a 43.1% chance of winning.
-
Predictions: EvanMiya (74-72) has the Cats winning by two. BartTorvik is picking the Vols to get a 73-71 win. KenPom (73-72) and Haslametrics (72-71) are taking Kentucky by a single point. DRatings picks Tennessee to win 81-79. I expect another physical, low-scoring game, but give the Cats the advantage with one of the best Rupp Arena crowds of the season. I’m going with a 78-73 victory, Kentucky!
Send us your predictions in the comments section!
Advertisement
And as always, Go CATS!
