For a Tennessee team that has struggled mightily to put its best foot forward away from home, tonight's trip to Lexington, where No. 1 Kentucky wait, is about as stiff a challenge as you could draw up. For a little perspective, this year's Vols have yet to win in an opponent's gym, while Wildcats are currently riding the nation's longest home-winning streak at 47 games.

Cuonzo Martin has struggled to find an answer to explain what has become a huge gulf between the Vols' home and away performances, a trend has gone to extremes in the past month.

Inside Thompson-Boling in January, Tennessee (10-11, 2-4) has looked like an upper-echelon SEC squad. The Vols are 3-1 at home for the month, with wins over ranked opponents in Florida and Connecticut. A hard-fought 65-62 loss to this same Kentucky (21-1, 7-0) team is the only blemish on their home record this month.

On the road Tennessee squandered a five-point lead with four minutes to play against a very beatable Georgia team and never really got out of the starting blocks at Vanderbilt. The Vols did play well in the second half at Mississippi State, losing on the final possession, but played themselves into a hole with a spotty first half.

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