Tennessee will visit Kentucky in an SEC matchup, as the Volunteers are No. 1 and on a school-record 19-game winning streak. Tennessee’s schedule to close out the season only gets harder. This game against No. 5 Kentucky is the first of two meetings against the Wildcats in a two-week span. In the middle of that, on Feb. 23 on the road, will be the regular season’s only game against No. 19 LSU. The Wildcats are -2.5 at home against Tennessee.
“I don’t really watch other teams that much, but I will say that every time I have seen Kentucky, the biggest thing I think is that Coach Cal (John Calipari) has done a great job this year with just the camaraderie,” said Tennessee senior Admiral Schofield.
Kentucky snapped a 10-game win streak following their 73-71 loss to LSU Tuesday night. The Wildcats lost on a tip-in at the buzzer by Kavell Bigby-Williams in a rare loss for Kentucky. Coach Calipari even stated that “this game and this week is the toughest week of the season for us.” They have now fallen to 3rdin the SEC behind Tennessee and LSU. Currently 9-2 in conference play, the Wildcats have fared well at home with a 13-1 record.
Volunteers Lead SEC
The Volunteers have dominated the SEC all season long and have just one loss on the season that came against Kansas earlier in the season. Playing each other twice over a two-week span will allow both of these teams to familiarize with one another. Last season Tennessee won both regular-season meetings against Kentucky, but the Wildcats gained revenge with a victory in the title game of the SEC tournament.
Washington Huge Factor
PJ Washington is playing great basketball right now for Kentucky, SEC Player of the Year-type level. The 6’8” sophomore forward is averaging team-highs in points (14.4) and rebounds (8.1). He finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds against LSU, as he now sets his sights on a Volunteers team that has someone playing at an SEC Player of the Year level, too. Junior forward Grant Williams, who won the award last season, is averaging 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, while shooting 57.9 percent from the field, all well above his marks from last year. Williams only scored eight points in Wednesday’s 85-73 win over South Carolina, but the Vols showed off the depth and versatility that makes them the top scoring team in the SEC at 85.4 points per game.
Kentucky is led by freshman guard Keldon Johnson, who is scoring 14 points per game and coming off a 16-point performance against LSU. Washington, who has scored 20-plus points in six of the past seven games. He scored a total of 22 in the three games against the Volunteers last season.
“I think we all realize that every game is important this time of the year,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. “Regardless of the rankings, I think we are all concerned about seeing how well we can play. Going back to their last game, we are going to have to put a rule in to help referees at the end of the game.”
- Get more details: Tennessee at Kentucky NCAAB Match-up
