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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Duke : TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Betting Odds/Predictions

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Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Duke Blue Devils in the Champion's Classic in Atlanta in a Top 25 matchup.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

The Kentucky Wildcats have finished the first week of the regular season 2-0. However, on Tuesday they will have their first big test of the season, traveling to Atlanta to take on the Duke Blue Devils in the Champion’s Classic.

Duke comes in with a roster reminiscent of past Kentucky teams, full of elite freshmen. Meanwhile, Kentucky comes in with the oldest team in program history. It will be a true battle between youth and experience.

The Wildcats are just 1-6 in their last seven Champions Classic games and just 1-5 against Duke over their last six meetings. Can the Wildcats change course? Let’s take a look at the matchup.

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Rebounding Battle

Duke has the tallest team in the country, with an average height of 6’7.5”. That certainly helps them in their battle of the boards, where through two games they are averaging 45 rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, Mark Pope has not been pleased with Kentucky’s effort on the boards to start the season. In their latest game against Bucknell, rebounding was a clear point of emphasis as the Cats grabbed 57 rebounds, including 22 offensive boards.

Kentucky doesn’t give up too much height, but they do give up some athleticism. With a lot of long rebounds from threes, all five Cats on the floor need to box out.

Turnover Battle

In addition to their height, Duke also has the length to be pests on defense. Combining for 18 steals on defense through two games, the Blue Devils are able to create offense.

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After turning the ball over fifteen times against Bucknell, eight of which between Amari Williams and Andrew Carr, they’re are going to have to be aware of the pressure inside and keep the ball moving.

Conditioning

Mark Pope has talked about improving his team’s conditioning, wanting them to be in a shape reminiscent of Rick Pitino’s 90s teams, which Pope was a part of. They will be able to see where they stand physically, and potentially use it to their advantage.

Currently, Kentucky ranks 26th in adjusted tempo, while Duke ranks 181st. However, both team’s average possession lasts less than 15 seconds. This means a fast-paced game should be expected.

Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg has cramped in each of the Blue Devil’s first two games. If Kentucky can be successful in pushing the pace, it will give them a better chance at the win.

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The Stage

This is Kentucky’s most experienced team in program history. However, on Tuesday, many of them will be playing on the biggest stage of their career.

We have seen Kentucky freshmen struggle in this event in the past. Now with a team of veterans, can they contribute when the lights shine the brightest?

Opposing Players to Watch

G/F Cooper Flagg 6-9, 205 lbs

  • 15.5 PPG
  • 9 RPG
  • 4 APG
  • 2.5 SPG

G/F Kon Knueppel 6-7, 217 lbs

  • 18.5 PPG
  • 3 RPG
  • 50% 3P

G Tyrese Proctor 6-6, 183 lbs

  • 12.0 PPG
  • 5 RPG
  • 1.5 APG
  • 50% 3P

Kentucky Basketball vs. Duke Blue Devils

  • Time: 9:00 PM ET on November 12th
    Location: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
    TV Channel: ESPN
    Announcers: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Jess Sims
    Online Stream: ESPN+, and the ESPN app.
    Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
    Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
    Rosters: UK | DUKE
    Stats to Know: UK | DUKE
    KenPom: UK | DUKE
    Team Sheet: UK | DUKE

Be sure to send us your Kentucky-Duke score predictions down in the comments section!

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Men's Basketball

Can Kentucky Take Down Tennessee for the Third Time This Season? Here is What History Says

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Kentucky Wildcats guard Koby Brea (4) shoots the ball over Tennessee Volunteers.
Jordan Prather | IMAGN

The Kentucky Wildcats will face-off with the Tennessee Volunteers for the third time this season in the Sweet Sixteen, where Kentucky won each of the first two matchups. 

Head Coach Mark Pope and the heart-filled ‘Cats will look to beat Tennessee for the third time in a single season for the first time since 2005.

While previewing the game, Pope had nothing but nice things to say about the rival Volunteers. 

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“If we really parse details, there’s certainly the emotional advantage of winning two that you feel like you know you can,” said Pope. “This is a great Tennessee team. It’s one of the top teams in the country. It’s the best defensive team in the country.” 

Pope, frankly, is right. The No. 2 seed rivals allow only 62.9 points per game, ranking eighth in the nation and hold one of the best defensive efficiency ratings in the nation. 

Although these stats haven’t really translated against the Wildcats this season, when it’s March, everything goes out of the door. 

It’s hard to beat a team three times. We know it, and legends have admitted it.

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North Carolina vs. Duke (2024-25) 

North Carolina’s Dean Smith wrote in his memoir that “It was extremely hard to beat a good team three times in a row.” Look at his Tar Heels recently, who faced off against the Duke Blue Devils three times this season. Duke, by a landslide, was the better team all year, hinting at why the Cooper Flagg led team is still dancing.

Duke beat the Tar Heels by double-digit points in both of the regular season matchups, but in the ACC Tournament, no matter what the skill gap was, North Carolina outscored Duke 47-29 in the second half and would only lose by three points. 

When comparing a team who had lost only three games to one who had lost 13, you would think the score would be a landslide again. However, it’s hard to beat a team three times. 

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Kentucky vs Auburn (2018-19) 

The Wildcats have experienced this downfall first hand in their last trip to the Elite Eight, where the No. 5 seed Auburn Tigers defeated them 77-71 in a heartbreaker. 

Kentucky had defeated the Tigers on the road 82-80 on Jan. 19 that year and would go on to blow them out by 27 points inside of Rupp Arena on Feb. 23.

Tyler Herro and Reid Travis would only combine for 16 points in the Elite Eight loss and Kentucky was sent home. 

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Are we making some connections here? 

Michigan State vs. Maryland (2021-22) 

After Michigan State defeated Maryland on March 6 by a score of 77-67, this win would ironically, set up a rematch in the Big Ten Tournament the same week. 

After scraping by on the road earlier in the season by two points, and now beating them once again, Head Coach Tom Izzo would comment on the topic, stating “Now you’ve got to beat a team three times, but it is what it is.”

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The No. 7 seed Spartans would scrape by once again, this time, by four points and would advance in the tournament.


Tonight, at approximately 7:39 p.m. ET, the ball will go in the air inside of Lucas Oil Stadium, and for 40 minutes, nothing else matters except surviving and advancing. 

However, that day old adage will linger in every Kentucky fan’s mind. 

“Can we actually beat Tennessee a third time?” 

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Men's Basketball

Andrew Carr on Kentucky Battling Adversity: “We’ve Gone Through a Lot This Year… It’s Certainly Made Us Stronger”

In the face of multiple injuries and ever-mounting pressure, Andrew Carr insists that the ‘Cats have only been made stronger.

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entucky Wildcats forward Andrew Carr (7) reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Benny Sieu | Imagn

All throughout the 2024-25′ season, there were innumerable intervals at which things seemed to be taking a turn for the worse for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. Between consistent and recurring injuries sustained across the team’s core rotation to questions of bench strength, road resilience and minutes attribution, the horizon has been hazy more often than not.

And yet, the Wildcats are slated to play in Indianapolis this weekend in their first Sweet 16 since 2019. How is that?

Well, according to starting forward Andrew Carr, the hardships he and the team have endured only worked to make them stronger. “We’ve gone through a lot this year,” he said, following the Round of 32 win over six-seed Illinois. “It’s certainly made us stronger.”

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Carr, who finished with four points, six rebounds and two assists in the 84-75 victory, was among the team’s question marks earlier in the season, missing an extended period with back spasms and only returning in slowly increasing spurts.

Since his return, he’s played a crucial, starting role in the ‘Cats late-season run, winning six of their last seven games on the way to a second weekend appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

“I don’t think we’d be as successful as we are right now if we didn’t go through all those things.”

Where Kentucky would be given a fully healthy roster right now is a tantalizing question; though, to Carr’s point, it simply isn’t worth asking. The ‘Cats left to scratch are doing so at a higher level than ever.

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Their aforementioned strength will be tested once more on Friday as Kentucky faces off against the Tennessee Volunteers for the third time this season, looking to complete the season sweep and advance to the Elite Eight.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Tennessee NCAAT: TV/Streaming Info, Preview, and Betting Odds/Predictions

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entucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) goes to the basket against Tennessee Volunteers.
Jordan Prather | IMAGN

How sweet it is, as the Kentucky Wildcats are back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.

This week, they are headed to Indianapolis for an opportunity to advance to the Final Four, where the Wildcats will take on a familiar foe, the Tennessee Volunteers. Having swept the regular season series, Kentucky can certainly win, but it is difficult to beat a team three times.

The Volunteers won their opening rounds in Lexington against Wofford and UCLA with relative ease to advance to this week and are in the Sweet 16 for a third straight season.

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Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Contain Chaz Lanier

Chaz Lanier is and has been Tennessee’s most dangerous offensive weapon this season. On the season, Lanier averages more than 18 points per game on 41% shooting from 3. To start the NCAA Tournament, Lanier has been on a burner, scoring 49 points on 55% from deep.

However, you wouldn’t know that just by watching his two performances against Kentucky. In those two games, his averages dropped significantly to 12.5 points per game on 17.6% shooting from 3.

Otega Oweh and Koby Brea have done an excellent job at running him off the 3-point line and forcing him to try and make plays going toward the rim, which he struggles with. They will need to continue to do the same on Friday, and they will even have a more confident Collin Chandler to assist.

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Shoot Better Than 38% from 3

Kentucky’s 3-point percentage has a direct correlation to their winning percentage.

  • When shooting better than 30% from deep: 21-5, 80% win percentage
  • When shooting worse than 30% from deep: 3-6, 33% win percentage

The Wildcats shot 50% in each of their two games against Tennessee this season, despite the Volunteers having the third-best 3-point defense in the country. Can Kentucky sustain that level of shooting?

It will be difficult to reach 50% from 3 as they did in the first two games against the Vols, but the Cats have shot 38.5% and 38.1% in the first two games of the NCAA Tournament.

Shoot 38%, and Kentucky will have a good chance of advancing.

Win the Turnover Battle

After a five game stretch of turning the ball over 12 or more times from mid-February to early March, Kentucky has significantly improved in that area.

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Since the Auburn loss on March 1st, the Wildcats have turned the ball over more than 10 times just once: The SEC Tournament against Alabama. Lamont Butler was out for that game, proving just how valuable his presence is.

Kentucky has not just been taking better care of the ball, but they have been generating more turnovers. They are averaging nearly nine steals per game, including a season-high 14 against Illinois.

As the most efficient offense, the Cats cannot afford to give the possession advantage against the inconsistent offense of Tennessee.

Make Free Throws

61%. That is Kentucky’s free throw percentage from the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, going 22/36 from the charity stripe.

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Simply, they have to shoot better from the line. Kentucky has lost multiple close Tournament games in the past for this reason.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Chaz Lanier, 6-4, 199 lbs

  • 18.1 PPG (5th in SEC)
  • 41.0% 3P (3rd in SEC)
  • 3.3 3PM per game (leads SEC)

G Zakai Zeigler, 5-9, 171 pounds

  • 13.7 PPG
  • 7.4 APG (1st in SEC, 5th nationally)
  • 2.0 SPG (3rd in SEC)

F Igor Milicic, 6-10, 225 lbs

  • 9.7 PPG
  • 6.8 RPG (10th in SEC)
  • 46.9% FG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Time: 7:39 PM ET on March 28th, 2025
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana
TV Channel: TBS/TruTV
Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, and Evan Washburn will call the action.
Online Stream: Sling TV, NCAA March Madness Live, and the NCAA March Madness Live app
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network. You can listen on mobile devices with the Varsity Network app.
Replay: Check local listings on CBS Sports Network and March Madness Live for a condensed replay.
Rosters: UK | UT
Stats to Know: UK | UT
KenPom: UK | UT
Team Sheet: UK | UT

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Tennessee favored by 4.5 points with an over/under of 144.5. As far as the metrics go, they give Kentucky about a 1 in three chance to advance to the Elite Eight. BartTorvik is the most confident in the Cats, giving them a 39% chance at victory. ESPN is close behind at 36.9%, followed by KenPom at 35%, DRatings at 32%, and EvanMiya at 31.1%.

Predictions: BartTorvik 74-71 is the only analytic going with a one-score loss. KenPom (76-72) and Haslametrics (75-71) are going with a four-point loss. DRatings (82-76) and EvanMiya (77-71) project the largest margin of defeat at six points. Why not Kentucky? Why not advance to the Elite Eight? Let’s keep the good vibes rolling. I’m going with a 76-71 victory, Kentucky!

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Send us your Kentucky vs. Tennessee score predictions in the comments section!

Go CATS!

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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