The #4 Tennessee Volunteers play host to the #15 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night at Food City Center. Tennessee (24-6, 14-3) will go through Senior Day activities before they tip off the final regular season game against the rival Wildcats (22-8, 12-5). Can the Vols continue their march to a number-one seed, or does Kentucky spoil Tennessee’s celebration?
Tennessee clinched the SEC regular season title on Wednesday with their 66-59 victory at South Carolina. It is the first time since 2018 the Volunteers have at least shared the regular season championship. The #4 Vols are battling to secure a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats head to Knoxville on a four-game winning streak, having scored 90+ in all four victories. While this game is not for an SEC championship, Kentucky is still playing for seeding and a double bye in the conference tournament. Four teams are tied for second place in the SEC, but only four teams receive the double bye. With Tennessee already positioned as one of the four, only three of those double-byes are up for grabs.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Money Line |
| Tennessee Volunteers | –9 (-110) | O165 (-110) | -310 |
| Kentucky Wildcats | +9 (-110) | U165 (-110) | +250 |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Kentucky Wildcats Match Details
Fixture: #4 Tennessee Volunteers vs #15 Kentucky Wildcats
Date and Time: Saturday, March 9, 2024; 4:00 PM EST
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee: Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
Apex Tale of the Tape
| #4 Tennessee Volunteers | vs | #15 Kentucky Wildcats |
| 24-6 | Record | 22-8 |
| 14-3 | Conference Record | 12-5 |
| 5-0 | Record Last 5 | 4-1 |
| 80.2 | Points Per Game | 89.7 |
| 45.2% | FG% | 49.8% |
| 34.7% | 3PT% | 40.8% |
| 75% | FT% | 77.1% |
| 67.1 | Points Allowed Per Game | 79.1 |
| 38.3% | Opponent FG% | 43.0% |
| 30.6% | Opponent 3PT% | 32.2% |
| 39.1 | Rebounds Per Game | 37.6 |
| 16.9 | Assists Per Game | 17.6 |
| 7.9 | Steals Per Game | 7.9 |
| 4.8 | Blocks Per Game | 6.1 |
| 17.5 | Fouls Per Game | 17.2 |
Key Stats
Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols are led by senior Guard Dalton Knecht, who is a legitimate national player of the year candidate. Knecht, a transfer from Northern Colorado, leads the SEC with 24.6 ppg in conference games. He is the leading candidate to take home SEC Player of the Year honors and has scored 20+ points in 11 of his last 17 games. Vols Junior Point Guard Zakai Zeigler leads the conference with 6.9 assists per game during conference games. Zeigler tore his ACL last March and has gotten stronger as the season has progressed. A defensive menace, ZZ is averaging 2.2 steals per game in conference play.
In the frontcourt, Tennessee relies heavily on Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka. Outside of those two, the Vols don’t play anybody else over 6’6” in their normal rotation. Aidoo averages 12.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg along with 1.8 bpg.
Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats are led by Guard Antonio Reeves, who averages 20.0 ppg on the season and 2.5 three-point makes per game. Freshman Reed Sheppard leads the SEC with 2.6 steals per game and is third in the conference with 4.5 assists per game. Freshman Rob Dillingham scored 35 points in the 103-92 home loss against Tennessee in their first meeting on February 3rd.
Match Prediction
Saturday is Senior Day in Knoxville for the Vols. Dalton Knecht, Santiago Vescovi, and Josiah Jordan James will play inside Food City Center for the last time in their careers. That combined with the fact the Vols are vying for a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament leads me to believe they will come out firing.
James along with Zakai Zeigler led the Vols with 26 points each in their win over Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Zeigler also finished with 13 assists in the victory. Surprisingly, Knecht only 16 points. I would expect DK to score his normal 24-28 points in his last go-round in Knoxville.
Final Pick
Tennessee 88 – Kentucky 81
Kentucky +9, Over 165
About the Author
Not only a writer and contributor of Total Apex Sports, Tom Harvey is also the co-founder of dynastyprosfootball.com
Tom has been writing about professional wrestling, college football, NFL, and fantasy football for over a decade and is an avid sports fan. A graduate of the University of Tennessee with a History degree, he loves all things Vols. He is also a massive Atlanta Braves and Dallas Cowboys fan. As an “Army Brat,” Tom has lived all over the country and abroad, so he has an appreciation of most sports and fan bases.
Follow Tom on X @dynastyprostom and subscribe to Dynasty Pros Football on YouTube for fantasy football content.
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