KSR's Roundtable Predictions/Props for Kentucky vs Tennessee

We had fun debuting KSProp Sheet for Kentucky’s trip to Mississippi State and the ‘Cats won the game, so let’s run it back for the homestand against Tennessee today. In case you missed it, we are spicing up KSR HQ’s roundtable predictions with a new prop sheet to mix up the mojo. Now here we are again for the ‘Cats and Vols. Leave your predictions in the comments below.

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Kentucky vs. Tennessee | KSProp Sheet

Score Prediction:
Kentucky’s MVP:
Predict UK’s Starting 5:
Will Sahvir Wheeler play:
Oscar Tshiebwe O/U 12.5 reb.:
Jacob Toppin O/U 12.5 pts.:
Antonio Reeves O/U 13.5 pts.:
Cason Wallace O/U 5.5 ast.:
Will Uros Plavsic foul out:
Will the TV broadcast catch Calipari sweating again:
Will Rick Pitino send in a video message for the 96, 97, 98 reunion:
If so, will fans boo:
Will there be a technical foul:
Over/Under 0.5 “Onions!”:

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Drew Franklin

I have my doubts about this game, unfortunately, and it is only because the backcourt will likely be down two players yet again. It’s amazing Kentucky was able to win at Starkville without Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick, especially without any scoring from Cason Wallace, but I worry it’s too tall of a task against the Vols. I’d love to be wrong.

Score Prediction: Tennessee 73, Kentucky 67
Kentucky’s MVP: Jacob Toppin
Predict UK’s Starting 5: Wallace, Reeves, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe
Will Sahvir Wheeler play: No
Oscar Tshiebwe O/U 12.5 reb.: Over
Jacob Toppin O/U 12.5 pts.: Over
Antonio Reeves O/U 13.5 pts.: Under
Cason Wallace O/U 5.5 ast.: Over
Will Uros Plavsic foul out: No
Will the TV broadcast catch Calipari sweating again: No
Will Rick Pitino send in a video message for the 96, 97, 98 reunion: No
If so, will fans boo: N/a
Will there be a technical foul: Yes
Over/Under 0.5 “Onions!”: Over

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Tyler Thompson

I didn’t think Kentucky would win at Mississippi State, but they proved me wrong. A win today would be huge for the Cats’ NCAA Tournament chances. This team knows it can beat Tennessee. They did it last month without Sahvir Wheeler, but CJ Fredrick played a huge role in that upset. Having one or both of them back today would be big but I’m not counting on it. I think Kentucky will keep it close but ultimately come up just short vs. a Tennessee team out for revenge.

Score Prediction: Tennessee 67, Kentucky 64
Kentucky’s MVP: Oscar Tshiebwe
Predict UK’s Starting 5: Wallace, Reeves, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe
Will Sahvir Wheeler play: No
Oscar Tshiebwe O/U 12.5 reb.: Over
Jacob Toppin O/U 12.5 pts.: Under
Antonio Reeves O/U 13.5 pts.: Over
Cason Wallace O/U 5.5 ast.: Over
Will Uros Plavsic foul out: No
Will the TV broadcast catch Calipari sweating again: Yes
Will Rick Pitino send in a video message for the 96, 97, 98 reunion: Yes
If so, will fans boo: No
Will there be a technical foul: Yes
Over/Under 0.5 “Onions!”: Over

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Jack Pilgrim

Kentucky won the first matchup by winning the battle on the glass (43-23), taking away the three-point line (3-21, 14.3%) and knocking down free throws (22 of 25). Maybe not to those extremes, but all manageable asks for the Wildcats inside Rupp Arena on Saturday. This game won’t be a track meet, trading shots back and forth early in the shot clock with an emphasis on volume. It’ll come down to grinding things out and executing in the half-court, limiting turnovers and bringing the fight.

Going up against the runner-up in his high school recruitment, I expect Cason Wallace to set the tone on both ends and will the Wildcats to victory.

Score Prediction: Kentucky 69, Tennessee 67
Kentucky’s MVP: Cason Wallace
Predict UK’s Starting 5: Wallace, Reeves, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe
Will Sahvir Wheeler play: No
Oscar Tshiebwe O/U 12.5 reb.: Over
Jacob Toppin O/U 12.5 pts.: Under
Antonio Reeves O/U 13.5 pts.: Under
Cason Wallace O/U 5.5 ast.: Over
Will Uros Plavsic foul out: Yes
Will the TV broadcast catch Calipari sweating again: Yes
Will Rick Pitino send in a video message for the 96, 97, 98 reunion: Yes
If so, will fans boo: No
Will there be a technical foul: No
Over/Under 0.5 “Onions!”: Over

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Nick Roush

Don’t feel great about this one, mostly because of history. Kentucky hasn’t swept the regular season series since 2012. The matchup is ideal for the Cats. It’s going to be a grinder, but can Kentucky close ’em out once again? I’m not so sure.

Score Prediction: Tennessee 69, Kentucky 64
Kentucky’s MVP: Antonio Reeves
Predict UK’s Starting 5: Wallace, Reeves, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe
Will Sahvir Wheeler play: Nope
Oscar Tshiebwe O/U 12.5 reb.: Over
Jacob Toppin O/U 12.5 pts.: Under (which ultimately is the reason why UK loses)
Antonio Reeves O/U 13.5 pts.: Over
Cason Wallace O/U 5.5 ast.: Over
Will Uros Plavsic foul out: No (Need better home whistles at Rupp)
Will the TV broadcast catch Calipari sweating again: Of course
Will Rick Pitino send in a video message for the 96, 97, 98 reunion: Yes
If so, will fans boo: Yes (but they wouldn’t boo if he showed up in person)
Will there be a technical foul: Yes

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Adam Luckett

Since Rick Barnes took over the basketball program in Knoxville, this has been an incredibly close and competitive series. Tennessee actually owns the series lead (10-8) and Barnes has never been swept by John Calipari since arriving on Rocky Top. I think that continues on Saturday as the Vols are the better team with the No. 1 defense in college basketball. Not sure Kentucky’s defense will be able to hold this group to 56 points and 0.81 points per possession again.

Score Prediction: Tennessee 72, Kentucky 63
Kentucky’s MVP: Cason Wallace
Predict UK’s Starting 5: Wallace, Reeves, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe
Will Sahvir Wheeler play: No
Oscar Tshiebwe O/U 12.5 reb.: Over
Jacob Toppin O/U 12.5 pts.: Under
Antonio Reeves O/U 13.5 pts.: Over
Cason Wallace O/U 5.5 ast.: Under
Will Uros Plavsic foul out: No
Will the TV broadcast catch Calipari sweating again: No
Will Rick Pitino send in a video message for the 96, 97, 98 reunion: Yes
If so, will fans boo: Yes
Will there be a technical foul: No
Over/Under 0.5 “Onions!”: Under

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Zack Geoghegan

As good as Tennessee is, Kentucky actually matches up quite well with the Vols. Neither team is overly quick and doesn’t mind slowing the pace down to a crawl, which is similar to what happened in the first outing back in January. Both groups will be dealing with two key injuries, as well. But I also feel as though Kentucky got a bit lucky down in Knoxville last time around. Tennessee’s 3-21 mark from deep in the first matchup was their second-worst outside shooting performance of the season so far. I’m giving the Vols a slight edge.

Score Prediction: Tennessee 68, Kentucky 65
Kentucky’s MVP: Antonio Reeves
Predict UK’s Starting 5: Wallace, Reeves, Livingston, Toppin, Tshiebwe
Will Sahvir Wheeler play: No
Oscar Tshiebwe O/U 12.5 reb.: Over
Jacob Toppin O/U 12.5 pts.: Over
Antonio Reeves O/U 13.5 pts.: Over
Cason Wallace O/U 5.5 last.: Under
Will Uros Plavsic foul out: No
Will the TV broadcast catch Calipari sweating again: Yes
Will Rick Pitino send in a video message for the 96, 97, 98 reunion: LOL
If so, will fans boo: 50/50
Will there be a technical foul: Yes
Over/Under 0.5 “Onions!”: A billion times over