Tennessee Volunteers vs Kentucky preview, odds, and predictions
534. 22-8, 12-5. 528. CBS. Saturday, March 9. . 4 PM ET. Tennessee vs Kentucky (03/09). 24-6, 14-3
The Tennessee Volunteers secured its first outright SEC Championship since 2008 with its win over South Carolina on Wednesday. The Vols will now have to reset their focus ahead of the Kentucky Wildcats coming to town.
Tennessee comes into this game as 7.5-point favorites, according to Fanduel. The over/under currently sits at 167.5 at the time I am writing this article, which means Vegas is expecting another heavyweight fight between two SEC powerhouses.
The Vols won the first matchup between these two teams in historic fashion. The Vols did something very few have done before: score 100+ points in Rupp Arena. Tennessee took care of business and brought their best on the offensive end of the court in their 103-96 win over Kentucky in Lexington.
Tennessee is coming off its third straight win against a ranked conference opponent. Their matchup against Kentucky will cap off the four-game stretch against the best teams in the SEC and their final top-15 matchup of the regular season.
Kentucky is also coming off a four-game winning streak, although their schedule has been less challenging. The Wildcats beat Alabama by 22 points two weeks ago and then rattled off three straight wins against Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt.
Tennessee has secured the one-seed in the SEC Tournament, so there isn't much to play for when it comes to stakes in the conference, but there is still a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament on the line for the Vols.
The Vols will continue to look to Dalton Knecht for a lot of the offensive production, which allows Knecht to continue building his resume for National Player of the Year.
It will also be important for Jonas Aidoo to continue dominating down low. He might not have the best stats night in and night out, but his production won't necessarily always show up on the stat sheet.
The same goes for Zakai Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi. Their leadership, defensive pressure, and offensive awareness will not show up on a stat sheet but they are big reasons why the Vols were able to win the SEC Championship, with and without Knecht on the court.
dark. Next. This year is Rick Barnes’s best chance and biggest challenge. This year is Rick Barnes’s best chance and biggest challenge
Tennessee will look to cap off a great SEC regular season with a Senior Day win over their rival, while the Wildcats continue competing in-conference for seeding in the conference tournament.