Yet another ranked battle is on tap for Kentucky basketball tonight.
UK and Tennessee square off at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Wildcats are No. 12 in both the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and the new AP Top 25 rankings; the Volunteers are eighth in each poll.
As is customary for Kentucky against conference foes, it has a dominant lead in the all-time series with Tennessee, ahead 161-78 entering tonight.
But UK hasn’t had its way since Rick Barnes took over as UT’s coach. Barnes is 11-10 against the Wildcats as the Volunteers’ head man since his first season in 2015-16. Kentucky coach Mark Pope hopes he can begin turning the series back in the Wildcats’ favor in his first meeting with the Vols.
Tennessee hasn’t lost at home this season, sporting an 11-0 record entering tonight’s game. UK, on the other hand, is 1-3 on the road. Though it was with an entirely different cast of players, the Wildcats are the last team to top the Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena: UK knocked off UT, 85-81, in the regular-season finale for both teams last season.
Here’s what you need to know to follow today’s game from home:
UK and Tennessee are slated to tip off at 7 p.m. today at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Betting odds: Kentucky is an 8 ½-point road underdog (-110) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 148 points (-110). The money line odds are Kentucky +320, Tennessee -410.
The contest between the Wildcats and Volunteers will air on ESPN. Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Jimmy Dykes (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline) will have the call.
Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
You also can stream ESPN on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.
You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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