#25 Tennessee (16-6 | 6-3 SEC) at Kentucky (16-7 | 7-3 SEC)
Saturday, February 7th, 2026 | 7:30pm CT / 8:30pm ET
Lexington, KY | Rupp Arena | TV: ESPN
Knoxville, TN – The Tennessee men’s basketball team (16-6, 6-3) is set to continue the 2025-26 slate Saturday, as it travels to Lexington, KY, to face the Kentucky Wildcats Ole Miss Rebels (16-7, 7-3) at Rupp Arena.
Tip-off is set for 7:30pm CT (8:30pm ET).
Tennessee has the most wins (79) over Kentucky of any team, with Vanderbilt a distant second at 51.
This is the ninth series meeting in a row with Tennessee ranked above Kentucky. Its prior high was four in a row (2/1/00 to 2/14/01).
The Vols’ eight road wins at Rupp Arena are the second-most of any team, trailing only Florida (10).
Rick Barnes has led UT to a 4-4 mark at Rupp Arena over the last eight years after it was 2-36 in the prior 38 seasons (1979-2017).
Tennessee’s 12 wins over Kentucky in Barnes’ tenure (2015-26) are four more than any other team. The Volunteers, who are 11-8 against ranked Wildcat teams under Barnes, have beat Kentucky at least once in nine of his 11 years.
In the 22 seasons before Barnes’ arrival (1993-2015), UT went 9-35 against Kentucky, including 7-28 when the Wildcats were ranked.
After a 24-12 (10-8) season that included a Sweet 16 bid, Kentucky was picked second in the SEC.
Senior guard Otega Oweh, the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, paces the Wildcats at 17.0 ppg.
Next Up For UT Men’s Basketball
The Tennessee Vols basketball team travels to Starkville, MS, for a Wednesday, February 11th game against Mississippi State. The game begins at 8:00pm CT (9:00pm ET).
