Tennessee was reeling.

The Vols had just taken top-ranked Auburn to the brink on the road, losing by one but walking away with some optimism for how they handled themselves in one of the toughest venues in the country against college basketball's No. 1 team.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

But Tennessee followed it up with a rare loss on its home floor to Kentucky just a few days later, unable to overcome its persistent shooting woes with the kind of defense that had gone toe-to-toe with Auburn.

Suddenly, the Vols, who had began SEC play as the last unbeaten team remaining and a top the polls themselves, had lost three of their last four with the meat of a daunting stretch still remaining.

How did Tennessee respond? It beat Florida by 20 point less than a month after the Gators dashed the Vols' perfect record and knocked them off their pedestal. They did it without two starters in Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic Jr., too.

It proved to be a turning point for Tennessee, which has won three-straight since, beating No. 15 Missouri and Oklahoma on the road in its last two games that displayed some of its best basketball on both ends of the floor all season.

Now, another rematch awaits the No. 5 Vols (20-4, 7-4 SEC), this one against that No. 15 Kentucky (16-7, 5-5) team that beat them in Knoxville two weeks ago and may have sparked their turnaround.

This second act is again a top 15 clash, but in a more hostile environment at Rupp Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

It will pit the nation's best defense in Tennessee against one of its best offenses in the Wildcats. The Vols rank first nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency while Kentucky is second in adjusted offensive efficiency.

The Wildcats have stumbled since knocking off Tennessee, losing two-straight before recovering in a rout of South Carolina in their last outing.

The Vols have looked the part of a Final Four team, suffocating team defensively and shooting well enough to beat anyone--a stark contrast from that night at Food City Center just two weeks ago.

Here is everything you need to know about the match up.

Who: No. 5 Tennessee (20-4, 7-4 SEC) at No. 15 Kentucky (16-7, 5-5)

When: Tuesday, Feb. 11 | 7 p.m. ET

Where: Rupp Arena | Lexington, Kentucky

TV: ESPN (Dan Shulman, play-by-play; Jay Bilas, analyst; Molly McGrath, reporter)

Radio: Vol Network (Bob Kesling, play-by-play; Bertelkamp, analyst)

Series: 241st meeting all-time (Kentucky leads, 162-78)

Line: Tennessee, -1.5

KenPom Projection: Tennessee 74, Kentucky 72

POINTS PER GAME

Kentucky 86.7

Tennessee 74.8

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Kentucky 48.5%

Tennessee 45.2%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE

Kentucky 37.9%

Tennessee 34.3%

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Three thoughts on Tennessee basketball ahead of trip to Kentucky

ASSISTS

Kentucky 17.9

Tennessee 16.0

REBOUNDS

Kentucky 40.2

Tennessee 38.4

BLOCKS

Tennessee 5.5

Kentucky 4.3

-- Tennessee and Kentucky feature two of the best defenses and offenses in college basketball. The Vols rank first nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom and points allowed, while the Wildcats ranked second in offenses efficiency and third in points per game.

-- Tennessee forward Felix Okpara was listed as “probable” on the initial availability report Monday night after reportedly injuring his ankle in practice. Kentucky guard Jaxson Robinson was listed as “out,” leaving the Wildcats with a void to fill in their starting lineup.

-- Tennessee allowed Kentucky to shoot both 50% from the field and from three-point range in the first meeting between the two teams on Jan. 28. The Wildcats had five players finish in double scoring figures, led by Koby Brea scoring a game-high 18. The Vols meanwhile, shot just 34.7% from the field.

-- Tennessee reversed its road fortunes at Oklahoma last week, winning a road game in league play for just the second time this season. The Vols have been successful more often than not as of late at Rupp Arena, holding a 4-3 edge in games played in Lexington in the last seven years. Tennessee beat Kentucky, 103-92 in its last visit there in January 2024.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee basketball winning with 'what program was built on'

-- Tennessee is 7-4 in AP Top 25 match ups with Kentucky under 10th-year head coach Rick Barnes, including a 5-3 edge in games where the Wildcats are ranked in the top 20. The Vols were previously 7-28 in games where Kentucky was ranked at the time of the meeting between 1993-2015.

-- Kentucky has dazzled offensively, but its defense has left much to be desired. The Wildcats rank 90th in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 102.8 points per opponents' 100 offensive possessions. Kentucky is giving up 76.6 points per game and 83.4 points in conference games.

-- Kentucky was eighth in the SEC preseason poll heading into first-year head coach Mark Pope's season, and though it sits at .500 in the league, it owns one of the more impressive resumes in the country with wins over currently AP-ranked teams Duke, Florida, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Tennessee.

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