On Tuesday night, Kentucky and Tennessee will meet for the second time in two weeks, although this game will have one notable addition – UK point guard Lamont Butler.

When the Cats beat the Vols 78-73 on Jan. 28, Butler missed the game with a shoulder injury. With Jaxson Robinson running the point, Kentucky hit 12 of 24 from three-point range on its way to winning in Knoxville.

Butler returned to action on Saturday in UK’s 80-57 win over South Carolina. He admits that the shoulder still bothers him a bit, but he’s ready to face Tennessee on Tuesday.

“It’s feeling alright,” Butler said on Monday. “I’m ready to go for this game tomorrow.”

Being the competitor he is, Butler hated to miss three games of action. However, he was able to see the game from a different perspective.

“It was tough,” Butler said. “I wanted to be out there with the guys, competing with them, especially on the road because we know how tough it is on the road. I was excited to see how they battled and how hard they played.”

From the sidelines, Butler was able to observe some of the things that the Cats could have done better.

“I think, the games that we lost, we needed to step up defensively,” Butler said. “I think we didn’t have the edge we usually play with. We just have to bring a better effort. I think it’s my job to come in and bring the effort and the energy on that end. I think we weren’t giving multiple efforts on plays. We would guard for 15 or 20 seconds well and then we have a breakdown in the last 10 seconds.”

Butler will now get his first taste of the Kentucky-Tennessee rivalry on the court. He’s looking forward to helping the Cats hold serve at home.

“I’m excited. I know it’s a rivalry between Kentucky and Tennessee,” Butler said. “The last game, we got them at their place so (now) we’ve got to protect our home court. Our job is to protect home court.”

The Cats will be looking for a regular season sweep of the Vols on Tuesday night. Having Butler back in the lineup should help with those efforts.