The Kentucky Wildcats remain perfect on the season and are a real threat to stay that way through the regular season. The Wildcats have very few tough games left before conference tournaments begin, but one of them takes place on Monday night. Kentucky will hit the road to face a Tennessee Volunteers team that has struggled heavily in recent weeks, but understands the importance of the SEC East rivalry game.
Tennessee has look bad over its last few games. The team has dropped five of their last seven which saw them fall from second place in the conference to seventh while risking falling out of tournament contention altogether. The most surprising issue for the Volunteers is their issues when playing at home where they are just 2-4 in conference play. That stat might not get any better as Kentucky comes to town with Tennessee in desperate need of a big win.
Kentucky has been vulnerable against unranked teams over the past few years, but that might not be the case this season. They are coming off a 77-43 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks as depth and balance continue to shine for the team. As Willie Cauley-Stein struggles with just 14.0 points per game over his last three matches, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Harris are making up for it. Towns is now averaging 13.4 points over his last five games emerging as a threat late in the season.
Cauley-Stein has struggled against Tennessee in recent years. In three career starts against the Volunteers, he has a total of nine points and 10 rebounds while Kentucky has gone 2-1. That lone loss came the last time Kentucky played in Knoxville as Tennessee got the 88-58 win. That might not happen this year as Tennessee has dropped off since starting 4-1 in conference play. They are fresh off a loss to LSU as they struggled defending against size. The Tigers also played well from long range against Tennessee, banking 9 of 19 3-point shots. If Tennessee has a chance at getting the upset over Kentucky, they have to step it up in all areas of the game.
