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Fansided

Tennessee basketball’s 2022 SEC Tournament rooting guide

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 9, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey entertains the crowd during the second half against the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey entertains the crowd during the second half against the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 5, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari huddles up with teammates against the Florida Gators during the first half at Billy Donovan Court at Exactech Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari huddles up with teammates against the Florida Gators during the first half at Billy Donovan Court at Exactech Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Any team playing Kentucky (3-seed)

First game: Friday, March 11 at 8 p.m. ET

In addition to Auburn, Tennessee basketball needs to root against Kentucky in every game. If those two teams ever face off, it’ll be in the SEC Tournament Championship, which will mean the Vols are eliminated, so they don’t need to prioritize who to root for in a head-to-head setting.

However, the tiebreaker then becomes the team the Vols play first. They would face Kentucky on Saturday before facing Auburn on Sunday. As a result, in hopes of wanting an easier opponent, their main focus not related to themselves should be all about rooting against John Calipari’s team whenever they take the court.

Yes, the Vols beat UK pretty significantly at home this year. However, Kentucky was banged up at that point, as Tyty Washington Jr. wasn’t himself, and they beat the Vols by more in Lexington. You could say UT was banged up too with Olivier Nkamhoua out, but Nkamhoua is still out while Washington is much healthier.

As a result, the advantage here favors Kentucky. Talent-wise, this is the best team in the SEC. Three years ago, the Vols beat Kentucky in a huge thriller on Saturday of the tournament only to lose to Auburn on Sunday. This year, they would have a harder time doing that again.

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