Kentucky vs Tennessee matchup history: When's the last time the Wildcats beat the Vols?

The Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers are set to face off in what should be an early-season thriller in the SEC. Both the Wildcats and Volunteers rank highly within the latest AP Top 25 poll, but have struggled in conference play. The Volunteers are just 4-3 in the SEC, while back-to-back frustrating losses have the Wildcats at 3-3 in conference play.

The Wildcats and Volunteers might not have much of a football rivalry considering how much more dominant Tennessee has been historically, but, especially now, the basketball rivalry between these two schools is one to take note of. It wouldn't be shocking at all to see either of these teams seriously compete for a national championship, making the outcome of Tuesday's game that much more interesting.

While both of these programs are in great shape right now, that hasn't always been the case. With that in mind, let's take a look at the matchup history between these two SEC powerhouses.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee matchup history: Wildcats hold massive edge over Vols

The 100+-year rivalry is as lopsided as it gets, with the Wildcats winning 161 of the 239 matchups against Tennessee. Being nearly 100 games over .500 against another school is utter dominance, but with Tennessee improving as a basketball program lately, things have been rather tight in recent history.

Kentucky might have the historical edge, but these teams have been dead even in their last 10 games with each team winning five contests. Most recently, the Wildcats earned a tough road win in Tennessee thanks in large part to 27-point outbursts from both Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard. With both of those guards now in the NBA, the Vols might have better luck on Tuesday.

Longest win streak in the history of Kentucky-Tennessee rivalry

While the Volunteers have found a way to have some success against Kentucky, it's been tough for them to string wins together. Their largest winning streak over Kentucky is at just five games, and they spanned from 1916 to 1917 - nearly a century ago. On the flip side, Kentucky has had some massive winning streaks over Tennessee, with one in particular sticking out.

On February 11, 1950, Kentucky cruised to a 79-52 win over Tennessee. That victory was the start of a whopping 20-game winning streak for Tennessee over their SEC rivals which spanned for over a decade. Tennessee finally put an end to that streak in late February of the 1959-60 season.

Perhaps the most embarrassing part of that massive losing streak for Tennessee is the fact that only three of those 20 losses came by single digits. Each of those three losses came by nine points. The games, for the most part, weren't even worth watching for Volunteers fans.

Within the last 10 matchups, neither of these schools has managed to win more than two in a row, making it a fun rivalry to follow. Based on that, Tuesday's matchup should be a thriller.