Rebounding, 3-point defense keys to a Kentucky win in Knoxville

Tennessee may be ranked No. 5 overall in the latest AP and Coaches Polls, but advanced analytics show the Volunteers are even better than that. Bart Torvik has UT at No. 1 overall while KenPom has them at No. 2, both listing the SEC contender as the far-and-away best defense in college basketball.

Take a closer look at that: No. 1 in effective field goal percentage defense (38.0%), No. 1 in opposing 3-point percentage (20.9%) and No. 10 in opposing 2-point percentage (42.9%). The team is allowing just 53.4 points per game, good for No. 2 overall, with not a single rotation player on the team bringing forth a worse defensive rating than 86.1 points allowed per 100 possessions — no one in the nation comes close.

Tennessee is going to defend well, that’s a given. Trying to put up a ton of points is likely a lost cause, especially for a Kentucky team that has had its fair share of offensive struggles this season.

For the Wildcats, they’ll need to thrive elsewhere for a chance to pull off the upset. Those areas? Playing with physicality, attacking the glass and guarding the perimeter.

We’ll start with the physicality, a loud gripe of John Calipari for his team throughout the season. Tennessee has five players standing 6-foot-8 or taller in the rotation, six players weighing over 200 pounds. Toughness is a key part of the team’s identity, specifically inside. That’s at the top of the scouting report for the Wildcats.

“They’ve got great size and they’re very physical, take up a lot of space on the court. They’re just very physical and always have been that way, even when they don’t have great size,” UK Associate to the Head Coach Bruiser Flint said Friday. “They make you earn not just every shot, but every catch, just catching the ball. They make you earn it. That’s a big part of their game. If you get past the physicality, then it becomes a little bit different. I like their size from watching them on film.

“To be a good defensive team, sometimes that size matters, that length. And they have that.”

That size has also helped UT become a force on the glass, averaging 41.1 rebounds per game — No. 5 overall — including 14.4 offensive boards per contest (No. 3). The Volunteers failed to hit that 41-rebound mark in both losses this season, highlighted by a 30-rebound effort in their most recent loss at No. 9 Arizona in December.

Elsewhere, Tennessee shoots just an OK 34.6% from three on the year, an average of 8.2 makes on 23.7 attempts per contest. At their most dangerous this season, the Vols have made shots from deep. In losses, they’ve failed to hit the 30.0% mark in either outing. That will also be a major point of emphasis.

“The one thing they have is great size and they do a great job rebounding the ball. One of the big things when you’re playing them is the three-ball. When they’re shooting the three ball well, they’re hard to beat,” Flint added. “They’ve done a great job this year having great balance. In the games they’ve lost and even their close games, they haven’t shot the three ball great. If we can make them make tough threes and keep them off the backboard, that’d help. But their size, physically, we know coming in they have two gigantic guys in there at all times. We know we have to rebound the ball.”

Three pretty significant keys for the Wildcats. Will they step up in those areas? We’ll find out Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena, with tip-off scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.

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