After both snapped two-game losing streaks with wins they desperately needed earlier this week, Kentucky and No. 10 Tennessee will face each other Saturday in a rematch of UK’s best victory to date this season. The Wildcats (17-9, 8-5 SEC) stole a 63-56 win on the road in the first meeting on Jan. 14 to ignite a streak of six wins over seven games.
But Kentucky fell back onto the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble last week with losses to Arkansas and Georgia before a big win at Mississippi State on Wednesday bumped the Wildcats back up to a No. 11 seed in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology entering this weekend. Tennessee (20-6, 9-4) also dealt with some misery last week in the form of back-to-back buzzer-beater losses against Vanderbilt and Missouri.
The Volunteers bounced back in authoritative fashion Wednesday with a 68-59 win over No. 1 Alabama. Tennessee likely won’t be able to catch the Crimson Tide in the SEC title race, but it is still in the mix for a lucrative NCAA Tournament positioning. The Volunteers, who are widely regarded as the nation’s best defensive team, enter the UK rematch as a projected No. 3 seed in Palm’s Bracketology.
Offense was the problem for Tennessee in the first meeting as the Vols made just 3 of 21 attempts from 3-point range while squandering an early 8-0 lead. Antonio Reeves shined for the Wildcats with 18 points. Over Kentucky’s last 12 games, Reeves is averaging 15.6 points and is shooting 44.1% from the 3-point line to provide the Wildcats with some sorely needed perimeter punch.
How to watch Kentucky vs. Tennessee live
Date: Saturday, Feb. 18 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Rupp Arena — Lexington, Kentucky
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
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