--Staff
I don't expect much for this game. Tennessee is an absolutely horrific matchup for Kentucky , both in depth and in athleticism. Who guards JP Prince? Who guards Tyler Smith? Who guards Chris Lofton? I'm not sure if I can answer any of these questions. Prince is a tall, lanky point guard who is excellent at penetrating and kicking it out to Tennessee's endless supply of shooters. Tyler Smith is one of the best small forwards I've seen this year. He's good at just about everything, and the only person I can see hanging with him on defense is Ramon Harris. While Harris is a pretty good defender, Tyler Smith is on a different level, Meeks and Jasper are both at less than 100%, and Joe Crawford will either be guarding JaJuan Smith or Lofton, both of whom will provide Crawford with an enviable task. Lofton has been in a slump all year, but he always shoots lights out in Lexington , and while this may just be some blatant pessimism coming from me, I think he'll go nuts in Rupp once again to the tune of at least six threes and at least 25 points.
Defensively, I expect the defense shown in the last ten minutes against Florida , when the guards fought through the high screens at the top of the key and the switching was kept to a minimum. If Tennessee sets a screen up top, I want to see the guard stay with his man and the big man stay with the screener. If that happens, Tennessee will have to run some really good plays to set guys up for open looks from three. If not, Tennessee will shoot as many open threes as they want and win by as many points as they want.
On offense I can only hope that Kentucky responds to the press against Tennessee in the same way they did against Florida , which is to say, not too bad. Very few of Kentucky's turnovers against Florida came against the press, and Florida switched up defenses throughout the game. Tennessee presses all game long, and it is a defensive style that lends itself to blown leads if the opposing team can beat the defense up the court for easy baskets. Unfortunately, that would require that the opposing team has players who are good at passing, and Kentucky has two. Fortunately for UK , the two best passers, Patterson and Jasper, are the two best rebounders on the roster, so if they can throw a couple outlet passes over the press, that would make my day a lot more enjoyable tomorrow.
--Seth Stogsdill
Tennessee will score A LOT of points off of turnovers. Edit that: Tennessee will score however many points they choose to and it may or may not come off of a turnover depending on how they're feeling at the moment. They don't press as much as other teams KY has played, but it has been effective when employed and they may amp it up a bit as Kentucky has struggled against it mightily. I expect a fast-paced game where it gets away from the Cats early in the second.
Lofton will light the Cats up again and become the SEC's all-time leader in three-point shooting. The stage is just set too perfectly. The Vols have a deep roster full of athletes, two adjectives Kentucky just can not claim. Every UT player can shoot and score and run the court. Kentucky can not. Ramel and Joe will have an opportunity to play well on offense as UT's perimeter defenders are less than marquis. However, they have a breeding ground for forwards headlined by former KY recruit Tyler Smith. If anyone in the league plays as physically demanding as Patrick Patterson, it's Smith. Wayne Chism is capable of providing some points, but is more of a finesse player who would choose a jumper over a strong low post move. Either way, he'll likely be open for it.
Yes, Kentucky has an opportunity here, and that's how the game should be viewed. But the horses in the stable are just a little winded to finish the race. Kentucky goes down big even though they give a good effort. Wildcard: Jodie Meeks. He's the one player UK has that UT can not defend if 100% or close to it. He looked okay against Florida , but was a little rusty and under conditioned. Two days removed likely won't change that. Result: big UT win.
-- Jared Powell
I don't expect much for this game. Tennessee is an absolutely horrific matchup for Kentucky , both in depth and in athleticism. Who guards JP Prince? Who guards Tyler Smith? Who guards Chris Lofton? I'm not sure if I can answer any of these questions. Prince is a tall, lanky point guard who is excellent at penetrating and kicking it out to Tennessee's endless supply of shooters. Tyler Smith is one of the best small forwards I've seen this year. He's good at just about everything, and the only person I can see hanging with him on defense is Ramon Harris. While Harris is a pretty good defender, Tyler Smith is on a different level, Meeks and Jasper are both at less than 100%, and Joe Crawford will either be guarding JaJuan Smith or Lofton, both of whom will provide Crawford with an enviable task. Lofton has been in a slump all year, but he always shoots lights out in Lexington , and while this may just be some blatant pessimism coming from me, I think he'll go nuts in Rupp once again to the tune of at least six threes and at least 25 points.
Defensively, I expect the defense shown in the last ten minutes against Florida , when the guards fought through the high screens at the top of the key and the switching was kept to a minimum. If Tennessee sets a screen up top, I want to see the guard stay with his man and the big man stay with the screener. If that happens, Tennessee will have to run some really good plays to set guys up for open looks from three. If not, Tennessee will shoot as many open threes as they want and win by as many points as they want.
On offense I can only hope that Kentucky responds to the press against Tennessee in the same way they did against Florida , which is to say, not too bad. Very few of Kentucky's turnovers against Florida came against the press, and Florida switched up defenses throughout the game. Tennessee presses all game long, and it is a defensive style that lends itself to blown leads if the opposing team can beat the defense up the court for easy baskets. Unfortunately, that would require that the opposing team has players who are good at passing, and Kentucky has two. Fortunately for UK , the two best passers, Patterson and Jasper, are the two best rebounders on the roster, so if they can throw a couple outlet passes over the press, that would make my day a lot more enjoyable tomorrow.
--Seth Stogsdill
Tennessee will score A LOT of points off of turnovers. Edit that: Tennessee will score however many points they choose to and it may or may not come off of a turnover depending on how they're feeling at the moment. They don't press as much as other teams KY has played, but it has been effective when employed and they may amp it up a bit as Kentucky has struggled against it mightily. I expect a fast-paced game where it gets away from the Cats early in the second.
Lofton will light the Cats up again and become the SEC's all-time leader in three-point shooting. The stage is just set too perfectly. The Vols have a deep roster full of athletes, two adjectives Kentucky just can not claim. Every UT player can shoot and score and run the court. Kentucky can not. Ramel and Joe will have an opportunity to play well on offense as UT's perimeter defenders are less than marquis. However, they have a breeding ground for forwards headlined by former KY recruit Tyler Smith. If anyone in the league plays as physically demanding as Patrick Patterson, it's Smith. Wayne Chism is capable of providing some points, but is more of a finesse player who would choose a jumper over a strong low post move. Either way, he'll likely be open for it.
Yes, Kentucky has an opportunity here, and that's how the game should be viewed. But the horses in the stable are just a little winded to finish the race. Kentucky goes down big even though they give a good effort. Wildcard: Jodie Meeks. He's the one player UK has that UT can not defend if 100% or close to it. He looked okay against Florida , but was a little rusty and under conditioned. Two days removed likely won't change that. Result: big UT win.
-- Jared Powell
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