Injury Report: Kentucky basketball at #24 Tennessee

Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance will not play against Tennessee.

Dec 23, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Jayden Quaintance (21) fives a teammate during the first half against the Bellarmine Knights at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats are once again on the road as they get set to take on the #24 Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. On Friday night, the SEC availability report for the game was released, and once again, Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance will not play against Tennessee, as he is listed as 'OUT' on the injury list.

Quaintance will now miss his third-straight game due to knee swelling. On Monday, Pope said there was much more positive information coming on him than what they received with Jaland Lowe being out for the season, but that news has yet to come. Quaintance was ruled out for Wednesday's game against LSU, and is now ruled out again for a big matchup against rival Tennessee. This game is going to be a huge opportunity for Kentucky basketball, who needs as many wins as they can get to help a resume that is not NCAA Tournament material. But, there will be plenty of those big opportunities ahead, as Kentucky actually has the toughest remaining schedule in college basketball. The Wildcats, in fact, will play eight ranked teams from now on, including four road games in a row against ranked foes.

This one will be tough without Quaintance again, as he would be excellent at embracing all of the physicality that comes with playing a Rick Barnes Tennessee team. Barnes' squad ranks as the11th-best defense on KenPom, and rightfully so. They're excellent at contesting shots. Tennessee is17th in the country in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to just 38.7% from the floor. They're also23rd in three-point percentage defense, as opponents are shooting an average of 29.2% from deep. The Vols are 37th as far as two-pointers go, holding foes to 46.9% shooting from inside. Then, there's the rebounding factor, which is where Quaintance would surely make an impact. The Volunteers are 5th in the country in offense rebounds, as well as first in percentage of boards grabbed on that end of the floor. Big man Jaylen Carey is a big part of that, as he his 8th nationally in offensive rebound percentage.

An area where the Kentucky Wildcats can take advantage is turnovers, as Tennessee's offense is one of the sloppiest teams in college basketball, and BBN knows how much their team feeds off of transition offense. Tennessee ranks 290th nationally in turnovers committed per game, averaging 13.3 miscues. According to KenPom, the Vols rank 327th in percentage of turnovers coming from steals.

This is going to be one where Kentucky's bigs are going to have to hold their own against Tennessee's physical play without Quaintance, who certainly doesn't lack effort on the glass.