For the second time this season, the No. 5 ranked Tennessee Volunteers (20-4, 7-4 SEC) will face off against the No. 15 ranked Kentucky Wildcats (16-7, 5-5 SEC) as these top 25 teams battle for positioning in their conference.
Tennessee enters the game one a three-game winning streak. The Volunteers played five consecutive ranked opponents over a two-week stretch, earning wins over Florida and Missouri to close out the toughest part of their schedule.
One of those losses during that stretch was to the Wildcats. Kentucky earned a 78-73 victory inside Thompson-Boling Arena on January 28 in a game they led for most of the contest. Despite that win, Kentucky has lost four of their last six contests, all to SEC opponents.
Can the Wildcats earn a season-sweep of their cross-state rivals? We’ll cover that and our three favorite player prop bets when Tennessee travels north to face Kentucky on Tuesday.
Tennessee is a senior-heavy squad. Their core includes guard Chaz Lanier, a 6-foot-4 University of North Florida transfer who is leading the Volunteers in scoring this season. He’s averaging 17.7 point per game while collecting 3.4 rebounds and one assist per night.
Since entering SEC play, Lanier’s offensive production has declined. He’s surpassed his points average only three times during that span, finishing with 15 points the last time these two teams met. Expect him to again fall short again Tuesday, and bettors should take the under on this player prop bet.
Kentucky earned their victory over Tennessee without senior guard Lamont Butler in the lineup. This year, he’s averaging 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and a team-high 4.7 assists per outing for the Wildcats.
The 6-foot-2 guard had been on a roll this season, but three of his past four games have resulted in subpar showings. Butler has finished below 16 combined points and assists in those outings for the Wildcats.
While all the evidence to support this pick points to the contrary, I believe Butler will have a strong showing against Tennessee on Tuesday. Bettors should expect him to finish with at least 12 points and four assists to cover this player prop bet.
Tennessee senior Igor Milicic Jr. has been among the most consistent players for the Volunteers this season. The Charlotte transfer has poured in 10.7 points along with a team-best 8.0 rebounds this season.
In Tennessee’s first game against Kentucky, Milicic finished with nine rebounds to lead his team. Despite taking on taller players, there’s little reason to believe he won’t deliver yet again, and bettors should take the over on this player prop bet.
Kentucky snuck out of Knoxville with an impressive win for the Wildcats, a contest that they led nearly the entire time. With the game now at Rupp Arena, don’t expect the change in venue to have a negative impact on the Volunteers, however.
Although Tennessee is a 2.5-point favorite, predicting this game is more of a toss-up than a sure-fire bet. Savvy bettors will put their money on both teams scoring above their combined total for this contest. A final score with both teams finishing above 75 points is a reasonable expectation.