There will be no love lost on the court in this Valentine’s Day matchup as the Kentucky Wildcats seek to avenge one of their two losses in SEC play when they host the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols pulled off the upset just three weeks ago, knocking off UK as a 10.5-point underdog at Thompson-Boling Arena. It’ll be a different scenario this time around with the Cats looking to avenge that defeat on the Rupp Arena floor where they are unbeaten in league play.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, February 14, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Tuesday schedule.
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Tennessee pulled off one of the biggest shockers in college basketball three weeks ago, stunning the Wildcats 82-80 as a 10.5-point underdog on its own floor. According to Rick Barnes it was the best the Vols had played all season. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to build off that upset and have gone just 3-2 SU and ATS since then. The two losses were in the past three games to teams below the Vols in the standings, which hasn’t helped UT’s chances of getting an at-large tournament bid.
UK remains one of the top ranked teams in the country, but their recent play suggests otherwise. Beginning with their loss at Tennessee, the Wildcats are just 3-3 in their last six. In one of their worst offensive performances of the year, the Cats managed to get by Alabama on Saturday, 67-58, covering the 7.5-point spread. It was UK’s first cover win in six meetings and put them at just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games.
Key Stat
Kentucky will push the pace and the kids like to run the floor. That could be hazardous when opposing teams slow things down, leading to some uneasy moments on the UK sideline. With four freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup, the Wildcats face the same scenario every season with their one-and-done players. There will be a new crop of first-year players next season, but this year’s team is starting to get it.
Not all games are going to be track meets and the sooner UK understands that, the better off they’re going to be. But the Wildcats like to run. They average nearly 90 points per game, are a top 10 team in terms of offensive efficiency and rank 13th in adjusted tempo. It makes for high scoring games, which are fun, and the over is 15-10 overall this season.
Last Meeting
The Wildcats are tied for the conference lead at 10-2 and if not for a loss to the Volunteers on Jan. 24, UK would be alone in first. Tennessee pulled off the shocker behind a balanced attack and played their best game of the season. They got some help from the Wildcats, who looked like a different club than the one that had lost twice in the first 19 games of the year. Playing a more selfish brand of ball, the Wildcats’ offense looked stagnant and they also suffered on the defensive side.
John Calipari said his team should have lost and was dismayed at the effort, particularly after he stressed how important beating teams like Tennessee on the road is. Kentucky will always get their opponent’s best shot and this was a case of what happens when the Wildcats get careless. Are the Volunteers a more talented team? No, but on this day they did the little things, played scrappy and made just enough plays to pull the upset. It’ll be more difficult this time around, but at least UT knows it already has a win over the Wildcats.
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Tennessee played its best game of the season according to Barnes last time out against Kentucky and only won by a bucket on the Vols’ home floor. So you have to figure Tennessee has little margin for error. And while the Vols played well, the Wildcats were far from sharp and deviated from Coach Cal’s game play, which didn’t make him happy.
The Cats may have turned a corner last time out, getting a victory over Bama while only putting up 67 points. UK likes to run, and being slowed down has frustrated them with their four recent losses all coming while scoring fewer than their season average. It’s hard not to like the Wildcats, and if they learn to be patient, they could do some damage. Avenging an earlier loss to Tennessee, however, is most important right now.
College Basketball Odds: Kentucky 83, Tennessee 71
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