Tennessee basketball vs Kentucky: Preview, prediction for Sweet 16 matchup March Madness
Tennessee basketball is facing Kentucky in the NCAA tournament for the first time.
The No. 2 seed Vols face the No. 3 seed Wildcats with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line Friday in Indianapolis. Tennessee (29-7) has never played Kentucky (24-11) in March Madness in 115 years of games.
UT lost both regular-season matchups. It lost 78-73 at Food City Center on Jan. 28 and fell 75-63 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 11.
Game time for Friday has not been announced.
Here is a quick look at the matchup:
Kentucky shot better than anyone against Tennessee's defense this season
Kentucky was 12-for-24 on 3-pointers in both regular-season matchups. No other team shot better than 45% from three against UT and only three hit more than 40%.
The Wildcats shot 38.1% from 3-point range against Illinois on Sunday in the second round after hitting 38.5% of their 3-pointers against Troy.
Tennessee's offense struggled down the stretch in both losses to Kentucky
Tennessee led by two with less than five minutes to play against Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Feb. 11. Tennessee made one field goal in the final 4:49. It missed all five 3-point attempts in the final minutes, finishing 3-for-18.
The Vols struggled to shoot throughout the loss at Food City Center, shooting 11-for-45 on 3-pointers. They especially struggled late in the game. UT took 15 field goals in the final 5:20 and 14 were 3-pointers. Kentucky took one field goal in that stretch, but the Vols could not make a timely shot.
Tennessee's 45 3-point attempts are the second most in a game for the Vols in program history and the most in Rick Barnes' 10 seasons.
Tennessee has played Kentucky three times in a season three times under Rick Barnes
Tennessee and Kentucky have played three times in a season three times in Barnes' decade at UT.
Neither team has won all three in any of those seasons.
Tennessee swept the regular-season series in 2018 but lost in the SEC tournament title game against the Wildcats. The Vols and Wildcats split the regular-season matchups in 2019 and 2022. Tennessee beat UK in the SEC tournament semifinals in the third meeting in each of those seasons.
Tennessee vs Kentucky prediction: March Madness Sweet 16
Tennessee 76, Kentucky 68: The Vols had wild statistical deviations from their normal output offensively and defensively in the two games against Kentucky in the regular season. Here's betting the numbers balance out in the Sweet 16.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee vs Kentucky prediction, pick for March Madness Sweet 16
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