NEXT UP: What does Tennessee think of playing Kentucky for a 3rd time this season in the Sweet 16?
An almighty men’s college basketball postseason matchup is on the horizon. For the first time, Kentucky and Tennessee will face each other in the NCAA Tournament. The No. 3 seed Wildcats will play the No. 2 seed Volunteers on Friday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in a Sweet 16 game in the Midwest Regional that is fit for all the discourse in the world.
The pregame discussion surrounding this contest will certainly focus on one storyline in particular: Friday’s game will be the third time this season that UK and Tennessee go up against one another. And the Cats have won both of the previous contests.
On Jan. 28 in Knoxville, Kentucky secured a 78-73 road win against Tennessee despite being without starting point guard Lamont Butler due to a left shoulder injury. Mark Pope’s Wildcats dispatched the Volunteers on this night despite incredibly limited playing time from fifth-year forward Andrew Carr, as well. Tennessee went 11-for-45 (24.4%) on 3-pointers in the game
Then on Feb. 11, Kentucky completed a season sweep over Tennessee with a 75-64 result in Lexington. The Cats won this one without fifth-year starting guard Jaxson Robinson — who is out for the season with a right wrist injury — and despite Butler reinjuring his left shoulder during the second half. The Volunteers again struggled from deep in this contest, as Rick Barnes’ team went just 3-for-18 (16.7%) from behind the 3-point line.
So, between those poor shooting performances, the chance to set the record straight against a fierce rival and with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line, there should be plenty of added incentive for Tennessee ahead of Friday’s game.
But the Volunteers aren’t providing the Cats with any bulletin-board material for this one. Tennessee cruised to a spot in the Sweet 16 this week by winning its early-round NCAA Tournament contests at Rupp Arena in Lexington. The Vols beat No. 15 seed Wofford by 15 points on Thursday night and No. 7 seed UCLA by nine points on Saturday night. Following that win over the Bruins — and before Kentucky was confirmed as Tennessee’s Sweet 16 opponent — the Herald-Leader stopped by the Volunteers’ open locker room at Rupp.
To a man, Tennessee players indicated that a potential third chance to beat Kentucky in the national postseason wouldn’t provide them with any added motivation. “If we could do that (beat Kentucky), that would be great,” said junior forward Felix Okpara, who had a game-high seven rebounds against UCLA. “But … any team that comes, we’re prepared to take the challenge.”
That would make for, I’m sure, good TV, if we play them. But we’re excited to play whomever,” sophomore forward Cade Phillips added. “It’s the Sweet 16, it’s the stuff you dream of.”
“No, it really doesn’t matter to me,” senior guard Jahmai Mashack said when asked about the potential of facing Kentucky for a third time. “Whoever lines up in front of me, I want to try and kill. It really doesn’t matter what team it is. It’s just a kill mindset.”
Kentucky, Tennessee to play each other for third time in 2024-25 season Regardless of who won Sunday’s second-round NCAA Tournament meeting between No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 6 seed Illinois, Tennessee was guaranteed of getting a repeat opponent in the Sweet 16.
Back on Dec. 14, the Volunteers — who were then ranked in the AP poll as the No. 1 team in the nation — won a true road game at Illinois on a buzzer-beating layup by senior guard Jordan Gainey. While Tennessee’s opponent in the regional semifinals was still unknown Saturday night, the Volunteers were still able to speak to the Herald-Leader about the expected dynamics of facing a repeat foe in the win-or-go-home environment of the NCAA Tournament.
“Individually it helps us a little bit. Guarding guys you know, you get a little bit better feel of what they like to do,” said senior guard Zakai Zeigler, the SEC’s defensive player of the year. “Still, at the end of the day we’ve got to go out there and lace our sneakers up. You could go out there and somebody that’s never shot a 3 can hit four 3s in a row. It’s basketball at the end of the day, so you never know what can happen.
“It goes to personnel. You know guys a lot better when you’ve played a team two times or even if you have a team that’s in your conference or in the regional area. A team that you’re familiar with,” added Phillips, who cited the example of Tennessee having to prep for UCLA in the second round, a program that’s far removed from the minds of most Volunteers. “… Being able to have a team that you’re familiar with, it allows you to really understand personnel and really lock in on game possessions.”
Mashack — who famously hit a game-winning 3-pointer at home against Alabama earlier this season — concurred with his teammates.
“I think they’re going to adjust, we’re going to adjust. We’re going to be able to attack the weaknesses that we see, as well as them,” he said. “Just being able to continue to do what we do, not go away from what works and being able to adjust while the game goes on is going to be big for us.” Evidently, the basketball gods couldn’t resist pairing together the Cats and Vols in Indy this week.
Since the first time that UK and Tennessee faced off on the hardwood in men’s basketball in 1910, a meeting between the schools hasn’t occurred in the national postseason. A total of 241 games have come and gone, with memorable moments along the way, without an NCAA Tournament contest between the schools.
This will also mark only the fourth time that UK plays another active SEC school in March Madness. For those keeping track, UK holds a decisive advantage over Tennessee. The Wildcats have won 163 of the 241 games between the schools. Another quirk of Friday’s game will be the fact that UK is playing any opponent, let alone one of its biggest rivals, three times in the same season.
The last time Kentucky faced the same school three times in one season was during the 2022-23 season. UK went 1-2 that season against Vanderbilt, winning in Nashville, losing at Rupp Arena on Senior Night and losing to the Commodores again in the SEC Tournament.
It’s also worth noting that Kentucky and Tennessee represent two of the seven SEC schools that advanced to the Sweet 16 this year. The conference set a record by placing 14 teams into the 68-school March Madness field. Friday’s game between the Wildcats and Volunteers is the only all-SEC matchup in the Sweet 16.
