Tuesday night will mark the 230th time that Tennessee and Kentucky have faced off in men’s basketball. It will mark the 109th time the two teams have played each other in Lexington, and Tennessee will be looking for only their 18th win against the Wildcats on the road.
The Vols (16-13, 8-8 SEC) will look to end Kentucky’s (24-5, 14-2) eight-game winning streak. The No. 6 Wildcats haven’t lost a basketball game since a 75-66 defeat at the hands of Auburn on the road on February 1st. Since then, Kentucky has won every game they’ve played, and they just clinched the regular season SEC title with their 73-66 victory over those same Tigers at home on Saturday.
Tennessee is coming off a surprising 63-58 victory over Florida on Saturday, but the Vols have lost four of their last seven games and are just 4-6 in their last 10 games.
Kentucky boasts one of the hottest scorers in the SEC currently in sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley. He’s averaging 21.1 points and 4.4 rebounds during the Wildcats’ eight-game winning streak, shooting 45.8 percent from three and 93.4 percent from the free throw line in that span. The Wildcats are led defensively by point guard Ashton Haggans (2.0 steals a game) and Nick Richards (2.2 blocks a game). Haggans is also one of the top assisting point guards in the SEC, averaging 6.4 a game.
The Vols have been led by forward John Fulkerson over the last month. The redshirt junior is averaging 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks over his last eight games while shooting 56.4 percent overall. Jordan Bowden has been UT’s best road player this season, as the senior guard is averaging 16.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in true road games for Tennessee this season.
Kentucky is 16-1 in home games this season while the Vols are 3-7 in road contests. Tennessee is just 5-38 all-time in Rupp Arena.
Take a look at everything you need to know for tonight’s match-up. If you can’t make it to the game, here’s how you can watch or listen to the Tennessee vs. Kentucky rivalry game tonight.
Tip-Off: 9:00 Eastern, March 3rd, Rupp Arena (Lexington, KY)
TV: ESPN (Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes)
Streaming Online: ESPN.com/watch or the ESPN app
Radio: Vol Network
Line: Kentucky (-8.5)
