NCAA Basketball Picks – Kentucky Wildcats at Tennessee Volunteers - February 1
The regular season SEC title could be decided on Saturday when the Tennessee Volunteers look to avenge an earlier loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. Ranked No. 1 in the country, the Vols were manhandled two weeks ago in Lexington and get another shot at Coach Cal’s gang in the rematch.
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Tennessee has owned the paint and the boards this season, but the Vols couldn’t match the Cats’ length, and suffered their worst loss of the season. The Vols have lost just three times with the other two by a combined eight points.
Kentucky Wildcats at Tennessee Volunteers
Date and Time: Saturday, March 2, 2019, 2 p.m. ET
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN
Opening CBB Odds: Check Back Later
Kentucky at Tennessee TV Coverage: CBS
Odds Analysis
The Vols won 23 of their first 24 games that included a school record 19 straight victories and a win over then No. 1 Gonzaga on their way to the top ranking in the country. Many of those wins were blowouts and Tennessee became a serious threat as a Final Four contender. Things have slowed a bit lately. There was the loss to Kentucky and the Vols have split their last four. They lost by two in overtime at LSU and squeaked by Ole Miss the last time out. The Vols return home where they put their perfect 16-0 record at Thompson-Boling Arena on the line.
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A loss to Alabama in the SEC opener put a damper on Kentucky’s start to league play. But the Cats have responded by winning 14 of their last 15 games. The coming out game was their victory over Tennessee when they completely outclassed the top-ranked Vols. More impressive was that it came after their only loss in the current stretch. The Cats suffered a controversial setback to LSU and could have been despondent with UT up next. But they weren’t.
Kentucky
With the amount of turnover on the roster in Lexington, it’s impressive that Coach Cal continues to churn out top-10 teams and national championship contenders. No coach deals with the one-and-done culture of college basketball better than Calipari and his kids have morphed into a top contender. There is still one hurdle to clear and that’s going to Knoxville to try and take out the Vols in a battle between two of league’s tri-leaders.
The rookie class consisting of Ashton Hagans, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson and EJ Montgomery played a major role in the Cats win over Tennessee earlier and they all litter the stat sheet. But the grizzled veteran PJ Washington is who makes Kentucky Kentucky. The sophomore forward is a candidate for SEC Player of the Year and he’s a matchup problem for any team. He scored 23 points on 9 of 12 shooting in the first matchup and the Vols had no answer for his combination of size and athleticism. Washington averages 15.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Tennessee
Maybe the stage was too big. After all, the Vols don’t have the same pedigree when it comes to college hoops as Kentucky. The program has made significant strides under Rick Barnes, increasing its win total every year since he took over. And barring a major collapse, Tennessee should surpass last year’s total of 26 wins, which was the most for the program in nearly a decade.
It’s not a total surprise that Tennessee is this good. Their regular starting five played a role in leading the team to the second-round of the NCAA Tournament last year and has some unfinished business to take care of after getting bounced by Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean. They also want to show they are better than that fiasco in Lexington a few weeks ago. Grant Williams leads the team with 19.1 points per game and Admiral Schofield scores 16.7 an outing. They are ready to make amends for the earlier loss to UK.
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Tennessee getting punk’d in the block is a rare occurrence. It was the difference in Kentucky’s 86-69 win when the Cats held a big edge in rebounds and points in the paint. The Vols, and especially guys like Williams and Kyle Alexander, know what they have to do to be successful against Kentucky. They’ve been doing it all season and the Vols have won 25 of their 28 games. They are also unbeaten at home, including a 7-0 mark in SEC games where they’ve won six of them by double-digits.
CBB Score Prediction: Tennessee 77, Kentucky 73
