The Kentucky Wildcats are back in the win column after a decisive win over South Carolina. On Tuesday, they will look for the season series sweep against the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Volunteers come to Rupp Arena on a three-game winning streak, which included a 20-point win over a top-five Florida team. On Monday, they will likely move into the top three of the AP Top 25 Poll.

The story for Kentucky will be Lamont Butler, the leader of the team. The senior point guard returned against South Carolina after missing three games. While he didn’t stuff the stat sheet, his impact and presence were still felt on the court.

This will be a major game both in the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament seed race. Both teams need a strong finish to have any hope of making it into the top four of the SEC Tournament seeding, which ensures a double-bye.

Meanwhile, both teams are projected as top-four seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

Needless to say, this is one of the biggest matchups in college basketball this week.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Slow Down Chaz Lanier Again

Chaz Lanier is Tennessee’s offense. In Tennessee’s wins, Lanier is averaging 18.6 points on 43% shooting. In their losses, he is averaging just 13 points on 34.1% shooting. In the first matchup, he scored 15 points on 35.7% shooting.

He will look to get most of his points from the 3-point line but is confident in his mid-range jumper and can slip to the basket if overplayed.

Slow down Lanier, and Kentucky will give themselves the best shot at the upset.

Consistency

After Kentucky’s loss to Arkansas, Jaxson Robinson identified Kentucky’s issue, consistency.

While the Wildcats have had issues with their defense and rebounding, they have shown flashes, just not consistently. Following the South Carolina game, the question is, can Kentucky continue to play defense at that level?

The Wildcats held South Carolina to just 32.8% shooting, the second-lowest of an opponent this season. Lamont Butler’s return certainly helped, but multiple players stepped up such as Koby Brea. That will have to continue going forward.

Health

Both Kentucky and Tennessee are dealing with multiple injuries heading into this game.

Of course, Lamont Butler returned for Kentucky but is sporting a brace on his left shoulder. Then there is Jaxson Robinson, who injured his shooting wrist in practice last week and looked to reaggravate it against South Carolina.

For Tennessee, Cade Phillips and Bishop Boswell are dealing with shoulder injuries. However, Phillips averages just 15.5 minutes per game, and Boswell 3.9 minutes. Much less impactful than a starter.

Kentucky’s injury report will weigh significantly on this game.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Chaz Lanier, 6-4, 199 lbs

• 17.7 PPG (4th in SEC)
• 41.6% 3P (5th in SEC)
• 3.5 3PM per game (leads SEC)

G Zakai Zeigler, 5-9, 171 pounds

• 12.9 PPG
• 7.5 APG (1st in SEC, 5th nationally)
• 2.1 SPG (5th in SEC)

F Igor Milicic, 6-10, 225 lbs

• 10.7 PPG
• 8.0 RPG (7th in SEC)
• 48.4% FG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Time: 7 PM ET on February 11th
Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky
TV Channel: ESPN
Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | UT
Stats to Know: UK | UT
KenPom: UK | UT
Team Sheet: UK | UT

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Tennessee favored by 1.5 points with an over/under of 149.5. Despite winning the game in Knoxville, the projections have Kentucky as a slight underdog. ESPN gives Kentucky a 46.3% chance at victory, followed by BartTorvik at 44%, EvanMiya at 42.1%, DRatings at 41.2%, and KenPom at 41%.

Predictions: Just like the percentages, the score projections give Tennessee a slight edge. Haslametrics is the sole model to pick a two-score margin. EvanMiya (75-72), BartTorvik (74-72), DRatings (80-77), and KenPom (74-72) all pick Kentucky to lose by a single score. Kentucky stole the game in Knoxville, but I don’t see Tennessee shooting that cold from the field, and I believe they even the season series with a 73-68 win.

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

Go CATS!

Coming off a disappointing loss to Georgia, the Kentucky Wildcats will hit the road again on Saturday, this time against the 14th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Led by third-year head coach Chris Jans, the Bulldogs currently hold their highest ranking since the 2018-19 season. It’s not been due to a poor schedule either, as the Bulldogs have the eighth-strongest strength of record according to ESPN, including four Quad I wins.

Ranked top 25 in KenPom offensive and defensive efficiency, Mississippi State is just one of 11 teams that fit that criteria. That said, Kentucky is 2-0 against such teams as Duke and Florida.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Rebounding Battle

Kentucky’s biggest issue of late has been rebounding, which Mark Pope called a “major issue” after the loss to Georgia. The Wildcats have been outrebounded in four straight games, including Brown, and have given up double-digit offensive rebounds in back-to-back games to start SEC play.

The rebounding battle is not going to be any easier against Mississippi State, who ranks 30th in rebounds per game (39.3) and grabs 34.4% of their own misses.

On paper, Kentucky has more size, and it will be important for ALL five players to box out. As they teach in youth basketball, Hit-Turn-Drive-Purse.

Take Care of the Ball

Kentucky has been one of the top ten teams in the country in taking care of the ball, but they coughed it up 13 times to Georgia, their second-highest mark of the season.

On the other side, Mississippi State is really good at forcing turnovers. Per game, the Bulldogs turn their opponent over nearly 15 times. About ten of those come from steals, where they rank in the top 10 nationally.

Kentucky has scored more than 1 point per possession this season, so think of it as leaving points on the board. They need to commit nine or fewer turnovers.

Physicality

The officiating has not been great in Kentucky’s first two SEC contests. However, that’s just part of the game. As Mark Pope says, only focus on what you can control.

One thing they can focus on and control is their level of physicality. The Cats responded to the physicality of Florida but never matched it against Georgia, and that is a big reason why they lost.

Again, Kentucky has the size, but they have to show the mentality. In the SEC you have to be the most physical team or meet the level every night out. It’s time for the Cats to step up in this regard.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Josh Hubbard 5-11, 190 lbs

• 17.1 PPG (T-9th in SEC)
• 3.3 APG
• 38.2% 3P

F Keshawn Murphy 6-10, 230 lbs

• 9.9 PPG
• 7.7 RPG (9th in SEC)
• 1.3 BPG

F Cameron Matthews 6-7, 235 lbs

• 6.9 RPG
• 4.1 APG (8th in SEC)
• 2.5 SPG (1st in SEC)

Kentucky Basketball vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Time: 8:30 PM ET
Date: January 11th, 2024
Location: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi
TV Channel: SEC Network
Announcers: Dave Neal and Jon Sundvold will call the action.
Online Stream: You can stream the game online using ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | MISS ST
Stats to Know: UK | MISS ST
KenPom: UK | MISS ST
Team Sheet: UK | MISS ST

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky as a 4.5-point underdog with an over/under of 161.5. ESPN is the most confident in Kentucky’s chances to win… at just 36.8%. EvanMiya is the most pessimistic, giving the Cats just a 28.1% chance of victory. Bart Torvik (33%) and KenPom (31%) fall in between.

Predictions: The analytics have Kentucky losing by 5+ points in Starkville. Haslametrics has Kentucky losing 86-79. EvanMiya has the Cats losing 82-76. Bart Torvik (85-80) and KenPom (84-79) are going with a five-point loss. I think Kentucky struggles again with another physical team that is more talented than Georgia or Ohio State. I believe Kentucky will drop a second straight, 78-72.

How do you see this one going? Send us your Kentucky vs. Mississippi State score predictions in the comments section!

Go Cats!!

Mark Pope has the utmost respect for his players and that is why he is honest with them. After the Wildcats’ 82-69 loss to Georgia on Tuesday, Pope was honest about his team’s rebounding effort and he was not pleased, to say the least.

“That’s a bell we got to ring,” Pope said after the game. “It’s unacceptable for us. It’s a sign of distraction. There were so many uncharacteristic plays on the court tonight. For us as a decision-making team, those are manifestations of some distraction.”

To fix that problem, Pope says the team has to get better at rooting out that distraction and building better habits. This is something he highlighted after Kentucky’s loss to Ohio State as well.

Highlighting the glass as a “major issue”, it’s not for lack of effort.

“Sometimes, when you start on a project you take ten steps backward before you start to make progress,” Pope said. “It feels like that is what’ve done. It feels like the more that we talk about it, the more we drill it, the more of a challenge it is.”

Find his full press conference below.