Southeastern foes will lock horns when the Tennessee Volunteers (10-11) face the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats (16-5) at Thompson-Boling Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Volunteers are hoping to rebound after their 75-63 loss to TCU on Saturday. Kevin Punter was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 90-84 loss against Kansas on Saturday. Tyler Ulis had a team-high 26 points.
Ulis has upped his play over the last five games for the Wildcats, averaging 21.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.4 three-pointers.
Kentucky may control the offensive boards in this matchup, as they place 10th in the nation in OR% at 38.8%. On the other hand, Tennessee ranks 329th in the nation on the defensive glass with a DR% of 65.6%.
Kentucky takes on Tennessee as a six-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 153 points. The Volunteers come into this game 10-11 Straight Up (SU) and 10-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Volunteers are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .740 from the free throw line.
Over on the other bench, the Wildcats have 16-5 SU and 9-12 ATS records. Offensively, they average 76.6 points per game on the road, which is 41st in the country. The Wildcats have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 13.6 offensive rebounds per game, 26th in the country. The Kentucky defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 5.0 field goals from three-point range per game. Blocking shots is an area where Kentucky has excelled. The Wildcats average 5.8 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Wildcats victory, bumping their SU record over their most recent meetings to 8-2. With a 6-4 record, the Wildcats also have the advantage ATS. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Kty, ATS Winner – Kty, O/U – Over
Notes
Tennessee is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tennessee’s last 5 games.
Tennessee is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
Tennessee is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home.
Tennessee is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Tennessee is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Kentucky.
Tennessee is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Kentucky.
Kentucky sits at 6-2 SU against the conference, while Tennessee is 3-5 SU.
Kentucky averages 78.2 points per game (ranked 76th). Tennessee, on the other hand, allows 75.9 points per game (ranked 275th).
Kentucky scores 76.6 points per away game (ranked 41st). Tennessee ranks a poor 293rd in points allowed at home, allowing 74.5 points.
Ranked 42nd, the Kentucky Wildcats have an offensive rating of 113.1. The Tennessee Volunteers rank 220th with a defensive rating of just 105.0.
The Kentucky Wildcats average a field goal percentage of 47.4% this season. The Tennessee Volunteers are a winless 0-4 when opponents have a FG% of 47.4% or greater.
On average, Tennessee attempts 22.0 three pointers and Kentucky attempts 18.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Tennessee Volunteers have a 6-10 record while the Kentucky Wildcats have a solid 6-3 record.
With 5.8 blocks per game, the Kentucky Wildcats rank 10th in the country. The Tennessee Volunteers are among the top-25 teams in blocking, ranking 22nd with 5.4 blocks per game.
Tennessee ranks 69th in offensive rebounding. Kentucky ranks 153rd in defensive rebounding.
On average, Tennessee makes 6.2 steals per game. Kentucky has a winning 5-2 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
