Thompson-Boling Arena – Knoxville, TN
Tip-off: Tuesday, 9:00 pm ET
Line: Kentucky -9.5, Total: 167.5

#4 Kentucky will be hoping to escape a hostile Tennessee environment unscathed on Tuesday.

Kentucky has won seven straight games, and the most recent one was very impressive. The Wildcats hosted South Carolina on Jan. 21, and they won 85-69 as 14-point home favorites. Kentucky shot 58.3% from the floor in that game, and the Wildcats also held the Gamecocks to just 41.4% shooting from the floor. They’ll look to bring that same type of two-way effort on Tuesday. The Volunteers have, however, looked pretty good lately. They have won-and-covered in two of their past three games, and the crowd will surely be fired up with a powerhouse like Kentucky in town. The Volunteers also happen to have beaten the Wildcats the last time they hosted them. That was on Feb. 2, 2016, and Tennessee won that game 84-77 as an 8.5-point home underdog. The Volunteers shot 42.1% from three in that one, and they’ll likely need to catch fire from the outside in order to keep this thing close once again. One trend that favors Kentucky in this game is the fact that Tennessee is a lousy 1-8 ATS when coming off of a win against a conference rival over the past two seasons. The Volunteers are, however, 35-12 ATS as a home underdog (or pick) since 1997. G De’Aaron Fox (Ankle) is listed as questionable for Kentucky in this one, but it’s unlikely he’ll give it a go. Even if he does, his minutes will be limited.

With G De’Aaron Fox (16.2 PPG, 6.0 APG, 4.8 RPG, 1.6 SPG) either out or limited on Tuesday, G Malik Monk (21.7 PPG, 1.2 SPG) will take on an even bigger role for Kentucky. Monk is one of the best scorers in college basketball this season, as he is shooting 50.7% from the floor and 41.4% from three. He will, however, have to look for his teammates a bit more in this one. Monk is definitely capable of doing that, as he has recorded four or more assists in six games this season. G Isaiah Briscoe (14.3 PPG, 4.2 APG, 4.2 RPG, 1.0 SPG) is also capable of picking up some of the distributing slack. Briscoe has had five assists or more seven times this season, and he also had an 11-assist game against Ole Miss on Dec. 29. Kentucky can use some of that ability on Tuesday, but the team will also need him to be aggressive as a scorer. On the inside, F Bam Adebayo (13.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.7 BPG) will look to dominate for the Wildcats. Nobody on Tennessee can match Adebayo’s strength and intensity, so it’s very likely he’ll have a big game on Tuesday. A double-double is not out of the question, but he will need to avoid foul trouble.

Tennessee is a pretty mediocre team in all aspects of the game, as the Volunteers are scoring only 77.8 PPG (85th in NCAA) and are allowing a lousy 74.1 (t-233rd in NCAA). They are going to need to step it up on both ends against Kentucky, but an increase in energy should certainly be expected. The Volunteers likely won’t be playing postseason basketball, so this home game against the conference’s best team should be treated like a championship game. One guy that must really play well in this one is G Robert Hubbs III (14.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG). Hubbs III is Tennessee’s leading scorer this season, and it’s hard to imagine the Volunteers having a chance to win without him scoring at least 20 points in this one. One thing that Hubbs III should do is avoid the three-ball. He is just 1-for-7 from three over the past five games, and is hitting only 15.0% of his shots from there on the season. He is a lot more effective when driving to the basket or shooting from mid-range, and must play to his strengths in this one. Another guy that will need to play well in this one is G Lamonte Turner (9.6 PPG, 3.1 APG). Turner is just a freshman, but he is one of the best three-point shooters on this team already. He is hitting 37.5% of his shots from behind the arc, and he will definitely need to get hot in order for the Volunteers to stay in this one. F Grant Williams (10.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG) is yet another guy worth mentioning in this game. He is coming off of a good performance against Mississippi State, scoring 17 points in 24 minutes. If that carries over then Tennessee just might be in good shape.