Kentucky and Tennessee Gear Up For Rare Top 5 SEC Showdown

When top-ranked Tennessee faces fifth ranked Kentucky Saturday night, it will mark the first meeting between two, top-five SEC teams since 2003 when second ranked Kentucky beat third ranked Florida 69-67 in Gainesville. For Saturday’s top five match-up, both head coaches expect a gritty match-up at Rupp Arena.

Said Kentucky head coach John Calipari:”Be a hard game. They’re good. They are not going to beat themselves. They’re physical. They fight for second and third opportunities to rebound.”
Said Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes:”They turn you over. You take bad shots. They capitalize probably as well as any team we play. They’re really good at capitalizing on those situations.”
Said Calipari:”They’re not going to beat themselves, and they’re going to create great opportunities, and they shoot the ball well. They shoot 50-percent (chuckles). You better play a good game. That’s what I tell them. You better play good.”
Said Barnes:”I now they see the hype. You can’t help but see it around this game. Hopefully there’s going to be more. Bigger ones. But I don’t think this game will define our season or Kentucky’s.”

Tipoff is at 8pm, and the game will be televised on ESPN.