Here's what Kentucky did to beat Tennessee twice. Can they do it again?

The Kentucky Wildcats are getting set to face off against the rival Tennessee Volunteers on Friday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, a historic matchup to say the least. The Wildcats and Volunteers have met 241 times in their storied series history, but this will mark the first time the two have played each other in the NCAA Tournament.

For Kentucky, they swept the season series, both in Lexington and Knoxville. There were some trends and storylines in the first two matchups, things to think about heading into a clash in the tournament. Through both games, the Wildcats actually shot the same percentage from three-point range, going 12-24 in both games, 24-48 through both. That was the opposite for Tennessee, as they were held to just 11-45 in the first game in Knoxville and an abysmal 3-18 from deep in Lexington. Those are some common trends as we head into the high-stakes third matchup. Both matchups saw Kentucky a bit banged up, too, as this was the point in the season that saw multiple players with lingering injuries. In the first game, Kentucky was without point guard Lamont Butler, who has been vital in their postseason success recently, as well as Andrew Carr, who just played one minute in the game with a lingering back injury.

Then in Lexington, the Wildcats got Butler and Carr back, but it was clear in the game that Carr wasn't back to 100 percent and Kentucky got a 75-64 win in Rupp Arena. Now, Kentucky faces the same Tennessee team with the same rotation they have had for multiple games and they clearly look comfortable on the floor together. Tennessee will look for a change in the tide this time, looking to shoot better and take Kentucky off the three-point line and defend it well. Not just that, but they'll also look to get Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler going, who are their top two scorers, with Zeigler also being an elite passer. In two games against Kentucky, Lanier and Zeigler combined to shoot 4-30 from deep, which, if Tennessee wants to come out victorious, certainly has to be better. Kentucky will want that to continue, as shutting down their offense was a major part in sweeping them in the regular season.

Will Kentucky be able to control the pace from the start and continue shooting well against the Volunteers, or will Tennessee make things go differently a third time and knock down shots as well as slow a hot Kentucky offense down?

We've got a massive game on Friday between two teams that know the ins-and-outs of each other better than any other team. Kentucky-Tennessee will tip off at 7:39 E.T. in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.