KSR Gameday: Shorthanded Kentucky looks to bounce back at Tennessee

Twice this season, we’ve seen Kentucky bounce back from befuddling losses with wins over top-15 teams. Tonight, the No. 12 Cats will try to do it again vs. No. 8 Tennessee in Knoxville (7 p.m., ESPN), a challenge made even harder by last night’s news that they’ll be without one, possibly two, starters.

We knew Andrew Carr might not play after missing Saturday’s game vs. Vanderbilt with back issues. We also knew that Lamont Butler is nowhere near 100%, playing through shoulder pain and taking a few more hard falls in Nashville. The latter must be worse than we feared because Butler popped up as “out” on last night’s SEC Availability Report, with Carr listed as “questionable.” We’ll get another update on Carr’s status about 90 minutes before tipoff.

Beating Tennessee in Knoxville was always going to be a tall ask, the toughest road game so far. Can Kentucky do it without Butler and potentially Carr? When Butler missed the Gonzaga game, Jaxson Robinson took over at point guard and led the Cats to the comeback win. He also played point vs. Colgate when Butler and Kerr Kriisa were out. Travis Perry has become a reliable sub in SEC play, averaging 7.3 minutes per game. He’ll also be called upon early and often to help steer the offense. If Carr can’t go, expect more minutes from Ansley Almonor and Trent Noah.

We saw some funky lineups in Nashville. We’ll see more tonight. Sure would be sweet if Koby Brea got hot down on Rocky Top.

Tennessee’s defense is elite

Both Tennessee (17-3, 4-3 SEC) and Kentucky (14-5, 3-3 SEC) fell victim to Memorial Magic at Vanderbilt. The memory is fresh in the Cats’ minds, Saturday marking the first time this season they’ve lost consecutive games. Tennessee rebounded from their loss in Nashville with a win vs. Mississippi State last Tuesday. On Saturday, they took No. 1 Auburn to the wire on the Plains in a low-scoring slugfest. The Volunteers held the Tigers to just 53 points, their fewest of the season.

While Tennessee has struggled offensively as of late, Rick Barnes’ defense is no joke, ranked second in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (36%), first in three-point field-goal percentage defense (25.4%), and third in scoring defense (58.4 points per game). That’s not exactly what you want to hear coming off a game in which Kentucky’s offense mustered only 69 points on a night they could be without two of their top four scorers.

There are plenty of familiar names on Tennessee’s roster. Zakai Zeigler is still there, averaging 12.3 points and 7.5 assists per game. (You would have loved to have a fully healthy Lamont Butler in that matchup.) Santiago Vescovi is finally gone, but North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier is more than filling the void, leading the Vols in scoring with 18.0 points per game and hitting a total of 71 threes this season, which ranks first in the SEC. You probably remember that he picked Tennessee over Kentucky and BYU. Croatian big man Igor Milicic Jr. is a new face, transferring in from Charlotte. He leads the team in rebounding with 8.1 boards per game.

I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that Kentucky is 1-3 in true road games this season; however, the Cats have won four of the last five games vs. the Vols in Knoxville. Rick Barnes may have had John Calipari’s number, going 11-10 vs. Kentucky during the Cal era, but this will be the first time he’s faced Mark Pope (who was 4-0 vs. the Vols as a player). If you were disappointed Kentucky dropped out of the AP top 10 on Monday, here’s a fun stat: Barnes is 7-1 against Kentucky when the Cats are in the top ten of the AP poll; when they’re not, he’s only 4-9.

How to Watch, Listen

• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Television: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, Molly McGrath)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 160 or 191
• 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. The KSR Pregame Show will start at 4:30 p.m. ET on 630 WLAP in Lexington, affiliates across the state, and iHeart Radio online.

Odds

Tennessee opened as an 8.5-point favorite on Monday, with the point total set at 148.5 points. Despite last night’s injury news, the line has stayed the same (Vegas always knows). KenPom predicts a 77-68 Tennessee victory, giving Kentucky only a 21% chance of pulling off the upset. BartTorvik likes the Vols 76-68. Kentucky has scored under 70 points in four of their five losses this season, the lone exception being the 102-97 shootout vs. Alabama.

There are two betting trends in Kentucky’s favor. First, the Cats have won all three games in which they’ve been an underdog this season. Second, Kentucky has won back-to-back games in Knoxville as an 8-point underdog. That’s a very specific stat courtesy of Adam Luckett.

The Wildcats are ready for a “dog fight”

Jaxson Robinson and Ansley Almonor met with reporters on Monday to preview the game. Both said that the Cats are eager to get the taste of losing out of their mouths, especially against a top-ten foe.

“They’re a tough team, everybody knows that,” Robinson said of Tennessee. “So, just going in there with a chip on our shoulder, knowing we’ve got something to prove, especially after the last game and the performance we put out there in the first half. We’re just looking to fix it and change it and hopefully come out with a win.”

“They’re physical. They got good guards that guard, they got good bigs that attack the glass and they’re physical, so it’s just gonna be a fight. It’s gonna be a dog fight,” Almonor said. “We have to go out there and be tough, it’s just that simple. No schemes, no gimmicks. It’s just go out there and be tougher. It’s that simple.”

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Top-5 recruit Nate Ament will be there

A top-five recruit will have a front-row seat at Thompson-Boling Arena at the Food City Center tonight. 2025 five-star forward Nate Ament is visiting Tennessee today, his second trip to Knoxville in recent months. Kentucky and Tennessee are two of eleven schools Ament is considering, along with Georgetown, Notre Dame, Duke, Louisville, BYU, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas State, and Alabama.

After losing Caleb Wilson to North Carolina, Kentucky’s staff is refocusing its efforts in the 2025 class toward Ament, who is expected to make a decision in February or March. Yet another reason it would be great if Kentucky’s offense would come back to life on Rocky Top.

One play from every Kentucky Basketball win since 1995

Shoutout to Daniel Hager for putting together this montage of plays from every Kentucky Basketball win over Tennessee since 1995. Lots of good memories here. Drew Franklin also shared the best moments from Kentucky’s wins in Knoxville on the site last night.

College Basketball on TV tonight

Kentucky vs. Tennessee is one of seven ranked games tonight, but the only ranked vs. ranked matchup. Here’s the complete schedule:

• 6:30 PM (FS1): No. 15 St. John’s vs. Georgetown
• 7:00 PM (ESPN): No. 12 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Tennessee
• 7:00 PM (ACCN): Wake Forest vs. No. 21 Louisville
• 7:00 PM (SECN): South Carolina vs. Georgia
• 8:00 PM (Peacock): Minnesota vs. No. 7 Michigan State
• 8:00 PM (ESPN+): UCF vs. No. 11 Kansas
• 8:30 PM (FS1): No. 9 Marquette vs. Butler
• 9:00 PM (SECN): Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Texas A&M
• 9:00 PM (ESPN2): Baylor vs. BYU
• 9:00 PM (ESPN+): Arizona State vs. Colorado
• 9:00 PM (ESPN): North Carolina vs. Pitt
• 9:00 PM (ACCN): Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame
• 10:00 PM (CBSSN): Cincinnati vs. Utah

ICYMI last night, Arizona upset No. 3 Iowa State in overtime 86-75. No. 2 Duke held off NC State 74-64 but center Khaman Maluach went viral for throwing up on the court. A Duke student also passed out in the stands and had to be carried out (according to a Duke spokesperson, she’s okay). And you thought you had a bad Monday.

uhh have to say in my time watching hoops vomiting on the court is a first pic.twitter.com/4PzzjlBgqT

— J. Kyle Mann (@jkylemann) January 28, 2025

Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year will be revealed

Today’s morning post is coming to you a little early. That’s because, at 9 a.m., the Lexington Herald-Leader will reveal the 2024 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year. Last week, Mark Story revealed the ten finalists, as voted on by 138 media members across the state:

• Dani Busboom Kelly
• Kenny McPeek
• Nick Mingione
• Travis Perry
• Reed Sheppard
• Walker Buehler
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Lamar Jackson
• Lee Kiefer
• Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Where is Mark Pope on this list? Voters were asked to only consider the 2023-24 basketball season, so, sadly, the changing of the guard in Lexington was not included. I’m sure Pope will rank high atop the list next season.