Kentucky and Tennessee are assured of making history before the opening tip. It’s the first Southeastern Conference game between two teams ranked in the top five in more than a decade. For those scoring at home, the last such game saw No. 2 Kentucky defeat No. 3 Florida 69-67 on March 8, 2003.
However unnecessary, that’s one more reason to think Rupp Arena will be the stage for a big game Saturday night.
Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes tried to give UK-UT some perspective. “I do not think this game is going to define our season or Kentucky’s season,” he said on Friday.