No. 11 Tennessee (12-4, 5-4) vs. Kentucky (5-11, 4-5)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, Lexington, Kentucky; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 11 Tennessee looks to give Kentucky its fifth straight loss to ranked opponents. Kentucky’s last win vs a ranked opponent came against the then-No. 15 Auburn Tigers 73-66 on Feb. 29, 2020. Tennessee came up short in a 52-50 game at Mississippi on Tuesday.
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED: Tennessee has been fueled by senior leadership while Kentucky has depended on freshmen this year. For the Volunteers, seniors John Fulkerson, Josiah-Jordan James, Yves Pons and Victor Bailey Jr. have collectively accounted for 55 percent of the team’s scoring. In the other locker room, freshmen Brandon Boston Jr., Isaiah Jackson and Devin Askew have combined to score 37 percent of Kentucky’s points this season.
IMPROVING IN CONFERENCE: The Wildcats have scored 69.8 points per game to conference opponents so far. That’s an improvement from the 64.9 per game they recorded against non-conference foes.BRILLIANT BRANDON: Boston has connected on 20.8 percent of the 53 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 4 for 10 over his last three games. He’s also made 78.7 percent of his foul shots this season.
WINLESS WHEN: Kentucky is 0-11 this year when it scores 70 points or fewer and 5-0 when it scores at least 71.
BEHIND THE ARC: Tennessee’s Pons has attempted 36 3-pointers and connected on 30.6 percent of them, and is 8 for 17 over his last five games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Tennessee defense has allowed only 58.9 points per game to opponents, which is the sixth-lowest figure in the country. The Kentucky offense has produced just 67.6 points through 16 games (ranked 239th among Division I teams).
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