by JACOB CHANEY
Kentucky fans across the nation felt a weight lifted off their shoulders when the final buzzer rang on Sunday in an 84-76 victory over sixth-seed Illinois. This ended a six-year Sweet 16 drought that had been hanging over Kentucky’s program and its fans. Normally Sweet 16s are not the standard for the Big Blue Nation, but under the circumstances of how things transpired over the last year it is understandable to be thrilled with Mark Pope’s first season.
Obviously, the season is not over yet. Kentucky will take on their second biggest rival, (behind The Cards, of course) the Tennessee Volunteers. This will be the first time these two have matched up in the NCAA Tournament. You can put most of the blame on Tennessee for that. This will only be their 11th time playing in the Sweet 16 in school history.
There is a lot on the line for the Volunteers. They got swept during the regular season by the Cats, so this seems like a must win for Tennessee fans. In both losses Kentucky was undermanned and seemed to be limping into their matchup but somehow found a way to win. The Wildcats are as healthy as they are going to get now and are playing their best defense of the season, but can the Vols pull off the win that matters?
So far Rick Barnes and company have not had much luck in the NCAA Tournament. People around social media often refer to him as “Regular Season Rick.” Barnes is a hall of famer and has coached some of the best basketball players in the nation, but his downfall is he can’t get it done in March. That is why all the pressure is on the Volunteers; the city of Knoxville might not survive going 0-3 to the Cats. There are also rumors that this could be Barnes’s last year coaching basketball, so it seems as if the stakes are high as ever for this matchup.
The Wildcats are a difficult matchup for the Vols. They have one of the highest scoring offenses in the country, while Tennessee is more defensively focused. Koby Brea for Kentucky may be the best three-point shooter in the country and has been playing like a man on a mission in the tournament. Tying a career high with 23 points against Illinois, he has stepped up and filled the void that Jaxson Robinson left when his season was cut short due to injury. For Kentucky to win, they need to ride the hot hand of Brea. This will open up the rest of the floor for Mark Pope’s offense to run freely.
One interesting stat going into this matchup, is the value that Trent Noah has brought in the two previous games against the Vols. In their first game, Noah scored five points and the Wildcats won by five. In their second game he scored 11 and they won by 11. So maybe the key to victory for Kentucky is simple as how many points can Trent Noah score?
Kentucky will face Tennessee on Friday, March 28 on TBS.