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Tennessee vs. Kentucky Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Saturday, Feb. 3

By Reed Wallach

Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) drives past South Carolina guard Ta'Lon Cooper (55) during a
Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) drives past South Carolina guard Ta'Lon Cooper (55) during a / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA
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Tennessee and Kentucky, the two top teams in the SEC, look to bounce back off of mid-week losses at home.

In a game featuring two teams with lofty expectations this season, who has the edge? Kentucky's offense has as high of a ceiling as any team in the country, but will face a stingy Tennessee defense that has first team All-American candidate Dalton Knecht operating as a two-way monster.

All eyes will be on this one on Saturday night, how should we bet it? Keep reading to find out below:

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Tennessee vs. Kentucky Odds, Spread and Total

Kentucky vs. Tennessee Betting Trends

  • Tennessee is 8-12 against the spread (ATS) this season
  • Tennessee is 0-2 ATS this season as an underdog
  • Kentucky is 12-8 ATS this season
  • Kentucky has gone OVER in 15 of 20 games this season

Tennessee vs. Kentucky How to Watch

  • Date: Saturday, February 3rd
  • Game Time: 8:30 PM EST
  • Venue: Rupp Arena
  • How to Watch (TV): ESPN
  • Tennessee Record: 15-5
  • Kentucky Record: 15-5

Tennessee vs. Kentucky Key Players to Watch

Tennessee

Dalton Knecht: The front runner for SEC Player of the Year has been on a tear, scoring 25 or more in six straight SEC games, unlocking another gear for this Vols offense while the team is maintaining the second best KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency rating in the nation.

Kentucky

Reed Sheppard: The freshman has been an instant impact threat for the Wildcats, averaging 12 points, four rebounds and four assists while shooting an absurd 54% from behind the three-point line. Kentucky has a ton of talent, but there's none more impactful than Sheppard.

Tennessee vs. Kentucky Prediction and Pick

This game is going to feature a ton of high level playmaking, but i can't trust Kentucky's defense to outduel Tennessee, even with the Wildcats playing at home.

Since conference play, Kentucky is outside the top 100 in Bart Torvik's adjusted defensive efficiency metric, struggling to turn over opponents (outside the top 300 nationally in that time frame) and outside the top 100 in two-point field goal percentage.

Meanwhile, Tennessee has done a great job of cashing in from in close, top 50 in tow-point field goal percentage since the start of conference play with Knecht unlocking a ton of opportunities for the Vols given the attention he is getting. While the offense is playing at a high level, the defense remains elite, fourth in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Buckets won't be easy to come by for Kentucky, and I can't trust the defense to get enough stops against Tennessee. I'll take the underdog on Saturday night.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!

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