KSR Staff Predictions: Kentucky vs. Tennessee Tech

by: KSR2 hours ago

It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and family is coming to town. Former Cat John Pelphrey is bringing his Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles to Rupp Arena tonight (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network), Kentucky’s final tune-up before next week’s games vs. No. 16 North Carolina and No. 12 Gonzaga.

The Cats are coming off a 42-point win over Loyola Maryland, which didn’t exactly ease concerns from the loss to Michigan State in the Champions Classic. They will likely be without Jaland Lowe (shoulder) and Mo Dioubate (ankle), but that shouldn’t matter against a Tennessee Tech squad that is 3-3 with losses vs. Western Kentucky, Charlotte, and West Georgia. The Golden Eagles are No. 322 in the KenPom ratings and a 38.5-point underdog.

Who will shine for the Cats tonight? The KSR crew is ready to weigh in with our PARLOUR PIZZA Pregame Predictions.

Tyler Thompson

Kentucky’s got a big, big week coming up, with games vs. North Carolina and Gonzaga. Even if the Cats are without Jaland Lowe and Mo Dioubate, they should not struggle vs. Tennessee Tech. I liked what I saw vs. Loyola Maryland on Friday. Both Malachi Moreno and Brandon Garrison responded well to the switch in the frontcourt, Kam Williams looked good at the four-spot, and Otega Oweh looked more like himself. Collin Chandler, Trent Noah, and Jasper Johnson connected on multiple three-pointers, with Jasper running the show late in the second half.

I want to see more of the same tonight. No offense to Tennessee Tech, but you’re not going to find out a ton about yourself playing a team of this caliber. The measuring stick comes out next week with games against two top-15 teams. The best Kentucky can do is keep tinkering with lineups and build momentum. Give me a feel-good win and a huge ovation for John Pelphrey before we all go home and enjoy some time with family before things get real next week.

Score: Kentucky 92, Tennessee Tech 60

Drew Franklin

With all due respect to John Pelphrey, I think this one will be a Thanksgiving Eve blowout. Kentucky’s offense got back in rhythm last Friday night against Loyola, and now they get a chance to stack another confidence-builder before the schedule ramps again for North Carolina and Gonzaga. Even without Jaland Lowe for another game, Mark Pope’s team should be able to overwhelm Tennessee Tech with depth alone.

I’m especially looking for continued success from Kam Williams, who broke out with a big game last week and is quietly becoming a reliable energy piece Pope can plug in. If Kentucky keeps getting that level of production from him and Moreno continues his climb, the Cats should cruise into Thanksgiving with something to feel good about. I’m watching how Brandon Garrison responds to his 11-rebound game off the bench last week, too.

Score: Kentucky 96, Tennessee Tech 64

Adam Luckett

Kentucky is looking to build some momentum before a huge home game with North Carolina arrives next week. Tennessee Tech will not stop that momentum.

The Cats will get a ton of open three-point attempts against a team that will attempt to squeeze off the paint. If it is a good shooting performance for the home team, this could be a long night for the Golden Eagles. However, Tennessee Tech also fouls a lot. This could be a threes and free throws game. Meanwhile, John Pelphrey’s team has major issues with shooting and turnovers. If Kentucky guards the paint, it will be hard for them to score.

UK gets up early and cruises to another comfortable victory against a mid-major.

Score: Kentucky 90, Tennessee Tech 50

Zack Geoghegan

Tennessee Tech is another one of *those* teams — one that Kentucky is favored to beat by a million. John Pelphrey returning to Rupp Arena will be the best part of the Golden Eagles’ night. Tennessee Tech is 3-3 on the season with losses to Western Kentucky, Charlotte, and West Georgia. Their offense ranks 337th nationally, per KenPom. This is a group that turns the ball over and doesn’t shoot well from deep (so expect a couple of early ones to fall). They’ve proven so far to be efficient scoring inside whenever they get the chance, but the talent difference will be obvious compared to Kentucky. TTU doesn’t have anyone over 6-foot-8.

The Cats won’t be distracted by the holidays or next week’s showdown against North Carolina. They’ll come into this one the same way they did against Loyola (MD) last week. We’ll see a 25-point Kentucky lead by halftime.

Score: Kentucky 91, Tennessee Tech 56

Jack Pilgrim

We love John Pelphrey. He’s an all-time Kentucky great and it’s gonna be a blast having him back home in Lexington, right where he belongs inside Rupp Arena. Unfortunately, he’s gonna have a terrible night — at least when it comes to basketball. Tennessee Tech is the second-worst team on the Wildcats’ schedule in KenPom’s opinion, and that matches the look test for the Golden Eagles. As others have pointed out, they’re horrific offensively and turn the ball over on nearly a quarter of their possessions while coming in at a serious size disadvantage. This is a name-your-score game for the blue and white, so it really comes down to how much Pope’s side wants to run things up.

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Expect the injured Wildcats to stay off the floor and the lineup to remain the same, big opportunities for Malachi Moreno and Kam Williams to pick up where they left off against Loyola (Md.). The former will add another double-double to his freshman total as the latter continues to emerge as the team’s do-it-all threat. I like Jasper Johnson to have a solid night and hit some shots, too.

Walker Horn is your game MVP as he finally scores his first points in a Kentucky uniform. That’s what we’re all talking about around the table at Thanksgiving.

Score: Kentucky 101, Tennessee Tech 51

Nick Roush

The self-loathing from Tennessee Tech over the last month in Lexington is sick. First, Cutter Boley carves them up. Now, they’re asking for Collin Chandler to get buckets?!?!? It’s sad. It truly is.

I’ll be thankful for this win if the Wildcats can escape without an injury. To be perfectly honest, the last one actually probably helped Kentucky some. The biggest problem in the first two marquee matchups was a lack of space in the interior when Mo Dioubate and Brandon Garrison were on the court. There was simply nowhere to go.

Loyola and Tennessee Tech are giving Kam Williams and Andrija Jelavic more minutes to get comfortable in a stretch-4 role. Even though Andrew Carr wasn’t always lighting ’em up from downtown, he did enough to keep ’em honest, and that gave Otega Oweh plenty of lanes to drive to the rim. Hopefully, those two put enough on tape to alleviate some of the interior stress that we’ll see over the next two games.

Score: Kentucky 118, Tennessee Tech 28

Jacob Polacheck

Tennessee Tech should be a get-right game for Mark Pope and Kentucky. It hasn’t been the best start for the Cats in a season with very high expectations, but this game should go smoothly. My prediction for game MVP is Collin Chandler, who I expect to hit multiple threes in the first half to set the tone. One hot take is that Brandon Garrison goes for a double-double.

Score: Kentucky 96, Tennessee Tech 54

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