One of the oldest played series in college athletics will see its first NCAA Tournament matchup Friday in the Midwest Region of the Sweet 16 in Indiana. No. 2 seed Tennessee Basketball takes on the No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats for a chance to go to the Elite Eight of March Madness.
Rick Barnes’ Vols, ranked No. 6 in both polls, beat the No. 15 seed Wofford Terriers 77-62 in the Round of 64 and the No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins 67-58 in the Round of 32 to get here. At 29-7, they are in their third straight Sweet 16 for the first time in program history and looking to go to their second straight Elite Eight, which would be another first.
The Wildcats, led by first-year head coach Mark Pope, are ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll and No. 21 in the Coaches Poll. At 22-11, they beat the No. 14 seed Troy Trojans 76-57 and the No. 6 seed Illinois Fighting Illini 84-75 to get to this point. Here is all the information you need for this matchup.
When: Friday, March 28 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: TBS/TruTV
Live stream: NCAA.com
Radio: Vol Network (Click here for affiliates); UK Sports Network (Click here for affiliates)
Listen online: The Varsity Network
Kentucky swept the Vols during the regular season, winning in Knoxville, Tenn., 78-73 and Lexington, Ky., 75-64. That occurred despite Tennessee Basketball finishing with a better record, higher in the SEC, ranked higher in both polls and all computer rankings and going further in the SEC Tournament.
Even crazier is that fact that UK guard Lamont Butler missed the game at Thompson-Boling Arena and played hurt in the Rupp Arena matchup. Amidst this paradox, the Vols are four and a half point favorites, but Butler guaranteed a victory for his team earlier in the week.
Not only would Tennessee Basketball go to its third Elite Eight in school history with a win, it would get its third 30-win season in school history. The Vols reached No. 1 for only the third season in school history earlier this year. Their previous two seasons at No. 1 and with 30 wins were the same year, but they have never done both and reached the Elite Eight the same season.
Whichever team wins this game will take on the winner between the No. 4 seed Purdue Boilermakers and No. 1 seed Houston Cougars Sunday for a chance to reach the Final Four. That would be the first Final Four appearance for Tennessee Basketball ever and just the second for Barnes.
