Tennessee and Kentucky have had some great battles on the hardwood recently. The Vols are 2-3 in their last five versus Kentucky, and with a game tomorrow at the Food City Center, Rick Barnes will look to even the series to three apiece in the last six.
The Wildcats have had an extremely up-and-down season, but there’s no denying their talent. Head coach Mark Pope will be laser-focused on one thing, and that's beating the Vols on the road.
The tough news for Kentucky? They’ll be missing a key piece of their puzzle. According to Kentucky Sports Radio, Jayden Quaintance is set to sit out his third straight game with a swollen knee.
Jayden Quaintance is not expected to play vs. Tennessee, sources tell KSR.
— KSR (@KSRonX) January 16, 2026
It will be the third straight game Quaintance has missed as he deals with swelling in his knee.https://t.co/n0QV3pZwX9 pic.twitter.com/8GU91bNoyP
Jayden Quaintance is out versus Tennessee on Saturday
This is brutal news for Mark Pope, as Kentucky is already missing Jaland Lowe for the season and now they're out another good player.
Quaintance just made his season debut a few weeks ago versus St. John's. He had 10 points and two blocks in 17 minutes of action. Since then, he's only played in four games, making one start, as the knee continues to bother the 6-foot-10 forward.
Quaintance, an Arizona State transfer, averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game last year in Tempe. The harsh reality is, he hasn't been able to find his footing in Kentucky as the injuries have piled up.
The biggest worry for Kentucky is how they’re going to hold up on the glass against Tennessee. The Vols are coming off a dominant rebounding performance against Texas A&M, and this is an area where they can really tilt a game. Tennessee is number one in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage at 43.9%.
Felix Okpara, Dewayne Brown II, Jaylen Carey, and Nate Ament have all rebounded great for Tennessee, and now their task gets a little bit easier on Saturday. Rick Barnes and the Vols are a perfect 9–0 at the Food City Center this season, and nearly every win has come comfortably. Only one of those games failed to turn into a double-digit victory, showing just how dominant Tennessee has been on its home floor.