Three reasons the Kentucky Wildcats will beat the Tennessee Volunteers

Here are three reasons why Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats will take down Tennessee.

Jan 17, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Ja'kobi Gillespie (0) and Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) go for a loose ball during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats are set to host rival Tennessee in Rupp Arena on Saturday night as Mark Pope’s squad looks for the regular season sweep of the Vols for the second straight year.  In game one of the series between these two teams, the Wildcats led for under a minute but were able to pull out the win on the road. The cardiac Cats did it once again in this game as they had to come back from a big deficit in the second half but were able to get it done.

This win over the Volunteers in Knoxville sparked the Wildcats, as Pope’s team started to heat up from there, including the big win over Arkansas. While the Wildcats were able to win the first matchup, this is a good Tennessee team, and the Wildcats need to get out to a fast start.

Let’s take a look at why Kentucky will take down the Volunteers in Rupp Arena on Saturday night.

Three reasons Kentucky will beat Tennessee in Rupp Arena

Kentucky gets out to a hot start

Feb 4, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope watches the action during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The biggest issue the Wildcats have faced this season, besides the injuries, has been getting out to a slow start. Kentucky has found itself down double figures in just about every important game this season it feels like, and they have to try and dig themselves out of a hole. They have been playing better in the first half of games lately, and if they get out to a hot start on Saturday, they should be able to take down the Volunteers once again.

Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh stay hot

Feb 4, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) smiles during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh have been playing exceptional basketball for the Wildcats of late, including in the win over the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday night, where they combined to score 42 points. These two combined for the biggest play of the game in the win over Tennessee in Knoxville, and they will need to once again play well at home. If these two once again play well, Kentucky should take care of business on Saturday.

The denim jerseys and an elite Rupp Arena crowd prove to be too much

Kentucky fans cheer as the Wildcats crowd around forward Trent Noah (9) after his three-point shooting display at the 2025 Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. | Matt Stone/The Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kentucky will be donning the denim jerseys to pay homage to Coach Pope’s 1996 National Championship team in this game against Tennessee, and the tip is at 8:30pm in Rupp Arena. This should be the best crowd all season long in Rupp Arena, so the team is going to come out fired up, looking to get Big Blue Nation a big win. I believe this crowd will be too much for the Vols to handle.