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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

Go CATS!

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

While all the attention is on Kentucky’s matchup with Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, the transfer portal officially opened on Monday and the staff has been hard at work.

Already tossing a wide net, reaching out to nearly a dozen guys in the past few days, the Cats have reeled in their first commitment from Top 25 ranked (247Sports), four-star transfer Kam Williams from Tulane.

With a 6-8, 190-pound frame, Williams has good size. What caught the staff’s eye is his ELITE shooting ability, shooting better than 41 percent this past season and that includes 17 threes made beyond 25 feet. He excels best in catch-and-shoot situations, where he ranks in the 94th percentile.

Williams received interest from many schools in addition to Kentucky, such as Florida, Louisville, and St. John’s among others. Why did Williams commit to Kentucky so quickly?

“Not many people get opportunities like this, so I wanted to pull the trigger fast,” Williams told ESPN. “More people are waiting to fill that spot, so I had to take advantage.”

“My dream is to play in the NBA. Kentucky’s culture and background shows that they care about their players, especially developing them into the best players they can be.”