Kentucky vs. Tennessee

The University of Kentucky Wildcats play host to the 13th-ranked University of Tennessee Volunteers. The Cats have a 15-7 (5-3) record while the Volunteers are 16-3 (7-1). Today marks the 300th game for Tubby Smith as head coach of the Cats. It also marks the 200th game between the Cats and the Volunteers. This is Bruce Pearl's first year as coach of the Tennesee Volunteers. The Cats currently lead the series 137-62 and are 81-15 against the Volunteers at home.

Patrick Sparks averaged over 16 points in the games against the Volunteers last season and has started in 102 consecutive games. While Randolph Morris recorded 6 assists against the Gators, Rajon Rondo FAILED to record an assist. I thought some of his passes would have counted as an assist but I guess not. The Cats have won 10 of the last 11 against the Volunteers including eight in a row. If the Unpredictables show up, then we may see that streak ending tonight but, the optimist that I am, I am hopeful that it moves to nine in a row. The current lineup is 3-1. The Cats have hit at least one three pointer in 597 consecutive games.

There are ties between with the state. Brandon Stockton, Chris Lofton, and Josh Carrier have all won the Mr. Basketball award in Kentucky. Lofton seems to enjoy more playing time than Carrier did or current senior Stockton. Mitch Barnhart is a former administrator at UT.

ESPN will air the game at 7 PM whil Big Blue Sports Network takes care of the radio with the pregame coverage starting at 5:30 with Dave Baker and Oscar Combs hosting the Texas Roadhouse Countown to Tip-Off Show.

It's 5:30 and that means it is time for the pre-game show. This is a must win situation per Dave. Bruce Pearl will be at Rupp in an orange blazer (Dave says he currently wearing orange suspenders). Congrats to John "J.B." Holmes. I forgot all about that. He finished first place at qualifying school for the PGA. Dave promotes the DVD of the UK-Tennessee women's basketball game. The worst mistake for the Cats was not signing Chris Lofton. Dave says to tell Scott Stricklin about Rick Phair.

Tom Leach now speaking to Tubby. The key will be how many turnovers that they are enforcing. The Cats need to avoid fouling. They need to transition the defense. The Cats need to be physical and aggressive. The Cats have played well but need to start a new winning streak. Danny Ainge, Jared Lorenzen, and Chris Burke are at Rupp Arena. Chris Burke...a person I no longer root for. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Tom Leach as his mother underwent heart surgery recently. This is definitely a must-win game because Cats fans don't want us playing on Thursday.

Mike Pratt's State Farm Insurance Keys of the Game:
-Physical athletic forwards tend to give UK problems. Tennessee lacks these.
-Stretch the game and play in the transition. Handle the pressure.
-Play at Tennessee's tempo.
-In-bounds the ball, stretch and get to the basket.

The sounds of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" and Fat Boy Slim's "Right Here, Right Now" can only mean one thing: Doug Bruce is about to announce the starting lineups.

ESPN Commentators: Dave Barnett, Jimmy Dykes, Heather Cox
Big Blue Sports Network: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker, Oscar Combs

Starters
Kentucky
F - Bobby Perry
F - Randolph Morris
G - Joe Crawford
G - Patrick Sparks
G - Rajon Rondo

Tennesee
C - Major Wingate
F - Andre Patterson
G - Chris Lofton
G - C.J. Watson
G - Dane Bradshaw

I'm not in the mood to live-blog the entire game. I'll have reports at halftime and the end of the game obviously but Saturday night was just too miserable live-blogging a loss. My regards...

HALFTIME: KENTUCKY 36, TENNESSEE 39
FINAL: KENTUCKY 67, TENNESEE 73

The Cats had a chance but started playing very poorly. Next up is Vandy at 3 PM this Saturday on JP Sports. The Cats move to 15-8 and 5-4 in the SEC. This was a must-win for the Cats but they lost and now they are not likely to get a bye. This is Tennessee's first win since January 12, 1999 against the Wildcats. The Cats needed to win this game to help their record and earn that bye which is very unlikely. The Cats have seven games remaining before the SEC tournament. If they can't win those seven games, basketball season is effectively over.