Kentucky Might Make It 3-For-3 Against Tennessee

Kentucky vs. Tennessee, 7:39 ET

We've had a lot of really good games scheduled this weekend, but there are a few that stood out to me as soon as the matchups were set. I really like the game between Duke and Arizona, thought the game with Houston and Purdue should be intriguing, and loved the idea of Maryland and Florida. But, when it comes down to it, I always like the games between teams that have to play each other multiple times in the regular season. That's the case with Kentucky and Tennessee as this is the third time the teams will face off this year.

Kentucky is surprising folks a little bit this tournament. The way that someone else wrote about them is this basically this: over the past year, Kentucky went from having one of the best regarded coaches in the game to having one that came from basically an average record at a program that wasn't all that impressive. They overhauled most of their roster, and are still making a ton of progress in just one year. I don't disagree with most of this sentiment. The only thing I'm not sure I think is significant is that they overhauled their roster. Under Coach Calipari, they were doing that every year anyway. In any case, Kentucky did have a good season - they went 24-11, but finished sixth in the SEC. In the first game of the NCAA Tournament, they beat Troy by almost 20, showing that the team was just not quite as good as the Wildcats. In the game against Illinois, they came in as underdogs and really never struggled as they won the game by nine points. Illinois defense once again failed them and Kentucky proved to run an efficient offense, hitting multiple open looks that they created.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 16: Jordan Gainey #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers attempts a basket against Denzel Aberdeen #11 of the Florida Gators during the first half in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

For Tennessee, they also had a great year, and now face the team that arguably has given them more trouble this year than any other team. Before we get there, let's talk a bit about their current form. In the SEC tournament, they played very well. They beat a strong, but not amazing Texas team. Then they had to take on Auburn and they were able to beat the Tigers. It wasn't the most dominant win, but they still took them down. The last game of the SEC Conference Tournament was against Florida. They proved to be too much for the Volunteers as they lost that one by nine. To open the NCAA Tournament, Tennessee had to play Wofford. Wofford is a normal tournament name, but they really don't make much of a run usually. This year was no different as Tennessee was able to drop them by 15. The next game was closer with UCLA at least putting up a fight as the two teams slogged their way to a 67-58 Tennessee win.

Kentucky has played Tennessee twice this year and Kentucky is 2-0 in these games. We now come to the third matchup and I ask "What is different about this one than the first two?" In the first game, at home for Tennessee, they lost by five. Tennessee shot really poorly in that game, but they took 22 more shots than Kentucky. How do you lose a game when you shoot 22 more times than your opponent? In game two, Tennessee went to Kentucky and lost by 11. The field goal attempts were equal in this one though. The problem was that Tennessee shot just 16.7% from deep in it. They once again won the rebounding battle though. Here's the thing, Kentucky might just be a bad matchup for Tennessee. I get that they shot poorly in the first two games, but how much was caused by Kentucky and how much was just bad luck. I don't think they will be quite as bad, but I do think we are getting too many points and have to take them with Kentucky. Back the Wildcats with the points here.

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