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Kentucky vs. Tennessee, Round 2: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

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9 months ago

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The Kentucky Wildcats will travel to Knoxville and look to even the season series against the Tennessee Volunteers in the regular season finale.
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

After 30 games, the regular season finale is here, as Kentucky Basketball will travel to Knoxville and take on the Tennessee Volunteers, looking to even the season series.

The Volunteers just beat South Carolina in Columbia while claiming their 11th SEC regular-season championship and first outright title since the 2007-08 season.

While the battle for the SEC regular season title is over, this is an important game for both teams in terms of postseason seeding. For Tennessee, they will have a great shot at a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament with a win.

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A Kentucky win means a double-bye for the SEC Tournament and into contention for a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Both sides will be motivated for postseason purposes, but with it being a rivalry, they will also be motivated by pride. Kentucky will want to avenge their January loss to Tennessee, which the Vols controlled from start to finish. Tennessee will want to win on senior night and sweep the season series.

The Volunteers will come into the game close to being a double-digit favorite. It’s these types of games that Kentucky has been successful in as of late. Where the odds and projections count them out, and they get a statement win.

Here’s what to watch for in Round 2 of Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers.

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Contain The “Other Guys”

In the first matchup, Kentucky did a good job of slowing down Dalton Knecht, holding him to just 16 points on 35.7% shooting, tied for his lowest shooting percentage in SEC play.

The issue was they gave up season-highs to Zakai Zeigler and Josiah-Jordan James, 26 points each.

Of course, defense has not been a strong suit of this Kentucky team and it will be difficult to contain Knecht to the same inefficient numbers, but they can’t allow such an explosion from the “other guys”.

With Zeigler, the key is to fight through screens, as more than half of his shot attempts this season have come from 3. That said, he is a driving threat, but shooting just 40% from the field, he is looking to pass, making it important not to overhelp on the 5-foot-9 guard.

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James and Jonas Aidoo are the Volunteers’ other scoring threats. James is a physical 4 who is also a willing shooter. An improved Justin Edwards with likely share this matchup with Adou Thiero.

As for Aidoo, he is your traditional post-up man. Whichever of Kentucky’s bigs that brings the most physicality and rebounds will get the most run in this matchup.

Physicality

Kentucky’s lack of physicality has been attacked for much of this season. However, over the last month, the Wildcats have improved in that area. Just look at their win over Mississippi State last week, where they responded to the physicality and came back from as many as 13 points.

In the first Kentucky-Tennessee matchup, both teams combined for 45 fouls, the most in a Kentucky game this season. Given Tennessee’s reputation as one of the most physical teams in the SEC, expect more of the same on Saturday. The priority will be on the boards, where Kentucky cannot give up 18 offensive boards again and give Tennessee so many extra possessions.

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Transition Offense

The one weakness of Tennessee’s top three KenPom defense is their transition defense. Self-aware of this, this was a point of emphasis for Rick Barnes last game and will be the same on Saturday.

For Kentucky, they have to force turnovers and grab defensive rebounds to get those transition opportunities. Those are two things they did not do well against Tennessee last time.

With Tennessee being fairly good at taking care of the ball, rebounding will likely be the primary source of those fastbreak chances.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Dalton Knecht, 6-6, 204 lbs

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  • 20.7 PPG (2nd in SEC)
  • 4.8 RPG
  • 40.6% 3P (12th in SEC)

G Zakai Zeigler 5-9, 171 lbs

  • 11.4 PPG
  • 5.9 APG (1st in SEC)
  • 1.9 SPG (4th in SEC)

F Jonas Aidoo, 6-11, 241 lbs

  • 12.2 PPG
  • 7.6 RPG (T-3rd in SEC)
  • 54.0% FG

Kentucky Wildcats Basketball vs. Tennessee Volunteers

How do you see this one playing out? Send us your thoughts in the comments section!

Also published on a Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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4 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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6 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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7 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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