KSR Gameday: Kentucky goes for the sweep vs. Tennessee
Two weeks ago, Kentucky went to Tennessee and pulled off one of the biggest wins of the season without Lamont Butler. Tonight, the No. 15 Cats will look to do it again vs. the No. 5 Vols at Rupp Arena, this time without Jaxson Robinson.
Robinson was ruled out in last night’s SEC Availability Report, still dealing with the right wrist injury he suffered in Friday’s practice. Robinson played vs. South Carolina but checked out twice in the second half clutching the wrist in pain. Butler was listed as probable on the injury report after returning vs. the Gamecocks. He told reporters yesterday that his shoulder was sore but nothing he couldn’t play through tonight. The Cats will need him to contain Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler, who was ice-cold in the first meeting but has been on fire since.
Kentucky snapped its losing streak Saturday vs. South Carolina to move to 16-7, 5-5 in the SEC. That puts the Cats in a tie with Mississippi State and Vanderbilt for eighth in the standings, with Kentucky holding the edge in tiebreakers. A second victory over the Vols — No. 6 in the standings — could give the Cats more ammo in the SEC Tournament seeding race. Tennessee bounced back from the loss to Kentucky with an impressive 20-point win vs. Florida on Feb. 1. The Vols are now on a three-game winning streak, adding wins over Missouri (85-81) and Oklahoma (70-52).
Without Robinson, the deck is once again stacked against Kentucky tonight. If the Cats do pull off a win, it will be just the second regular-series sweep over the Vols since Barnes took over in Knoxville in 2015. It would also give the Cats the edge in the series, which is tied at 11 during that span. Even more reason to pack Rupp. If you can’t make it to the game due to the weather, send your tickets to someone who can!
How to Watch, Listen
Brace yourself for the Rupp Arena ice cream bit. Jay Bilas and Dan Shulman are on the call for tonight’s game, with Molly McGrath on sideline duty. Maybe the cheerleaders can bring them snow cream instead of soft serve?
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Television: ESPN (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Molly McGrath)
- Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
- Online Radio: iHeart
- Satellite Radio: Sirius 81
- Live Stats: StatBroadcast
You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard.
SportsCenter live from UK’s campus
While you’re stuck inside due to the snow, you can at least see Kentucky get some good publicity. SportsCenter will be live from UK’s campus from 12-3 p.m. ET today. A UK spokeswoman says the show will not be open to the public but instead will feature interviews with Mark Pope, Otega Oweh, Amari Williams, Georgia Amoore, and even Mark Stoops. Still, it’s an excuse to have ESPN on in the background while you work or relax. We’ll be watching to pass along updates.
Nate Ament in attendance
Five-star forward Nate Ament had a front-row seat to Kentucky’s win over Tennessee in Knoxville. According to Jacob Polacheck, Ament will attend tonight’s rematch at Rupp. The Cats and the Vols are both on his final list of 11 schools. The 6’9″, 185 lbs. small forward, ranked No. 4 in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, is expected to make a decision later this month or in early March.
Mark Pope talks injuries
Mark Pope gave us a heads-up that Robinson might be out before the injury report dropped. On his radio show, Pope said it didn’t look like Robinson would be able to go vs. the Vols. When Tom Leach gave him a chance to clarify later on, Pope said the staff would be managing both Robinson and Butler’s injuries for a few more weeks.
“I’m hopeful that we’ll see Lamont again tomorrow,” Pope said. “I think there’s equally as challenging a chance to get Jax on the floor but I also believe in miracles. But we’ll see how it goes with Jax. It’s gonna be touch and go with those few guys for the next few weeks.”
As for Kerr Kriisa, Pope also shot down the internet rumor that Kriisa was a game-time decision for tonight’s game. Kriisa continues to recover from surgery on a Jones fracture in his foot.
“Kerr was not practicing today,” Pope confirmed. “I would love to let that hang out in the air, but he wasn’t. He’s still a ways away. We’re still hoping that we make progress but we’re still a ways away.”
Odds
Tennessee opened as a 1.5-point favorite. After the Butler news, the line moved to Tennessee -2.5. The total is set at 149.5 points, 73.5 for Kentucky, 75.5 for Tennessee.
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KenPom projects a 74-72 Tennessee victory, giving the Cats a 41% chance of victory. BartTorvik goes 73-72 Tennessee, bumping Kentucky’s chances up to 44%. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor is more bullish on the Cats, giving them a 46.3% chance of pulling off the upset.
Lamont Butler looking forward to facing the Vols
After watching Kentucky beat Tennessee from the bench, Lamont Butler is eager to get his first taste of the rivalry.
“I’m excited. I know it’s a rivalry between Kentucky and Tennessee,” Butler said. “The last game, we got them at their place so (now) we’ve got to protect our home court. Our job is to protect home court.”
Hear everything Butler and Trent Noah had to say about the game below, including an encouraging update on Butler’s shoulder after his first game back.
Kentucky WBB loses at Ole Miss
Kentucky WBB was sky-high heading into last night’s game at Ole Miss, ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll for the first time in four years. The Cats came back to Earth a little bit in Oxford, falling to the Rebels 66-57. Kentucky led for almost three-quarters of the game until Ole Miss took control in the fourth quarter. One bright spot was Clara Strack finishing the game with eight blocks, a Kentucky WBB record.
The loss moves Kentucky to 19-3 this season, 8-2 in SEC play. The No. 8 Cats return home to host the No. 3 Texas Longhorns on Thursday night, a game that could have big SEC Tournament seeding implications. It will tip off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
College Basketball on TV today
No. 15 Kentucky vs. No. 5 Tennessee is one of 12 ranked games today, five in the SEC. Will No. 3 Florida build on the momentum of its big upset over No. 1 Auburn or will the Gators fall to No. 22 Mississippi State in Starkville? You better have the multi-view fired up to find out, as that game airs at the same time as Kentucky’s on ESPN2. Also at 7 p.m., No. 1 Auburn will be looking to avoid Memorial Magic at Vanderbilt.
| Time (ET) | Game | TV/Streaming |
| 7:00 PM | #5 Tennessee at #15 Kentucky | ESPN |
| 7:00 PM | #1 Auburn at Vanderbilt | SEC Network |
| 7:00 PM | #3 Florida at #22 Mississippi State | ESPN2 |
| 7:00 PM | #7 Purdue at #20 Michigan | Peacock |
| 7:00 PM | #10 Iowa State at UCF | ESPN+ |
| 8:00 PM | #13 Arizona at Kansas State | ESPN+ |
| 8:30 PM | DePaul at #18 Marquette | Peacock |
| 9:00 PM | #2 Alabama at Texas | ESPN |
| 9:00 PM | Georgia at #8 Texas A&M | SEC Network |
| 9:00 PM | Indiana at #11 Michigan State | Peacock |
| 9:00 PM | Colorado at #17 Kansas | ESPN2 |
| 9:00 PM | UConn at #24 Creighton | CBSSN |
SEC Standings – Feb. 10
Here’s a look at the SEC standings with eight regular-season games remaining. As mentioned, Kentucky is tied with Vanderbilt and Mississippi State at 5-5, but holds the tiebreaker. Can you believe the SEC Tournament is only 30 days away?
| Team | SEC | GAMES BACK | OVERALL |
| Auburn | 9-1 | – | 21-2 |
| Alabama | 9-1 | – | 20-3 |
| Florida | 7-3 | 2 | 20-3 |
| Texas A&M | 7-3 | 2 | 18-5 |
| Tennessee | 7-4 | 2.5 | 20-4 |
| Ole Miss | 7-4 | 2.5 | 18-6 |
| Missouri | 6-4 | 3 | 17-6 |
| Mississippi State | 5-5 | 4 | 17-6 |
| Vanderbilt | 5-5 | 4 | 17-6 |
| Kentucky | 5-5 | 4 | 16-7 |
| Georgia | 4-7 | 5.5 | 16-8 |
| Texas | 4-7 | 5.5 | 15-9 |
| Oklahoma | 3-7 | 6 | 16-7 |
| Arkansas | 3-7 | 6 | 14-9 |
| LSU | 1-9 | 8 | 12-11 |
| South Carolina | 0-10 | 9 | 10-13 |
ICYMI, Andrew Carr’s story dropped on Monday
Andrew Carr played just 89 seconds in Kentucky’s win at Tennessee two weeks ago. Carr is looking more and more like himself every game as he recovers from back spasms. I sat down with Carr three weeks ago to talk about the injury and his journey to Kentucky. If you’re looking for something to keep you entertained until tipoff, the feature dropped on Monday. If longform isn’t your thing, you can also catch the video version on the KSR YouTube Channel. Kentucky could use a big game from Carr tonight.
[Andrew Carr Doesn’t Quit: How Kentucky’s Team Dad Battled Back Pain to Return to Action]
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