Two SEC rivals will close out their respective regular season slates on Saturday as the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats head down I-75 to battle the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET and the game will air on CBS. Tennessee raced past Tennessee 103-92 in their first matchup on February 3.
Kentucky (22-8, 12-5 SEC) has rattled off four straight wins to keep pace near the top of the SEC standings, last putting down Vanderbilt in a 93-77 triumph on Wednesday. Everyone for the Wildcats got involved in this victory with 10 different players scoring in the contest and 27 assists being recorded. Rob Dillingham stepped up off the bench with 23 points and five assists in 26 minutes.
Tennessee (24-6, 14-3 SEC) officially clinched the outright SEC regular season title on Wednesday, taking down South Carolina in a 66-59 road victory. Both teams shot under 40% in a defensive struggle and the Vols managed to keep the Gamecocks at bay while never trailing in the high-stakes showdown. Dalton Knecht led with 26 points while Zakai Zeigler provided 13 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in the championship-clinching win.
Tennessee never trailed in the last matchup between these two rivals and managed to keep a comfortable distance from the Wildcats in what ended up being a track meet. The Volunteers boast the most efficient defense in the SEC and have done so by frustrating opponents, forcing them into a high average possession length of 18.2 seconds. Fortunately for Kentucky, its shooting can get it out of tough jams. The Cats lead the SEC in both eFG% at 57% and three-point shooting at 40.4%.
What this game means for Kentucky
Kentucky is part of a four-way tie for second place in the conference and the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament would guarantee a double-bye straight to the quarterfinals, as well as being on the opposite side of the bracket from Tennessee. As it stands now, the Wildcats would win the tiebreaker procedure over those other three teams and a victory over the Vols would solidify their spot in Nashville next week.
What this game means for Tennessee
Tennessee has already locked up the No. 1 seed for the SEC Tournament and could really boost its resume for the NCAA Tournament. The Vols are currently a No. 2 seed for the Big Dance in the eyes of bracket experts and they will spend the next week doing what they can to get No. 1 seed consideration.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Tennessee -7.5
Total: 166.5
Moneyline: Tennessee -310, Kentucky +250
Pick: Kentucky +7.5
Even with it being Senior Day against a rival in Knoxville, there’s a chance for this to be a slight letdown spot for the Volunteers after wrapping up the conference title earlier in the week. For the Wildcats, a win or loss today could be the difference between them getting a double-bye and them falling to the No. 5 seed in next week’s conference tourney. I’ll predict UK comes out with a sense of urgency and covers here.