Saturday’s early showdown isn’t your average SEC matchup, even here in the middle of January. Kentucky and Tennessee barely survived tough games earlier this week and now meet for the first time since their Sweet Sixteen matchup last season. With both hoping to propel themselves back into the SEC race, which team shows up in Knoxville?
It’s been far from paradise for Kentucky (11-6) at this point in the season, but Mark Pope and these Wildcats are hoping they can still be a very productive team this year. The Wildcats just survived LSU thanks to a Malachi Moreno buzzer beater, getting their first road win of the season. The long-range shooting has been a sore spot for Kentucky this year while recent lineups changes may or may not have had the intended fix.
Things are far from perfect at Tennessee (12-5) as well, as the Volunteers needed double overtime just a few days ago to survive Texas A&M and get back to 2-2 in the SEC standings. Tennessee got this season started on the right foot and have looked impressive at times, but have double-digits losses to Illinois, Arkansas, and Florida that have sullied their potential. Holding their home court becomes even more impressive in this difficult conference race.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee: When and Where
Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026, 12:00 pm ET…