Opening Line for Kentucky vs. Tennessee at Rupp Arena

Kentucky went on the road and shocked Tennessee in the first edition of the border rivalry. Will the Vols return the favor with a road win at Rupp Arena? The handicappers in Las Vegas have weighed in ahead of this highly anticipated matchup between the Cats and the Vols.

Kentucky opens as a 1.5-point favorite against Tennessee with a total of 144.5. That’s a projected final score of 73-71.5.

The computers think this is going to be a close one. KenPom gives Kentucky a slight edge with a predicted final score of 73-72 in favor of the Cats, while Bart Torvik has the Vols escaping with a 73-71 win. Kentucky has a 56.1% chance to win, according to ESPN’s BPI.

Tennessee has won four straight games since the Cats were victorious in Knoxville. That includes a one-point nail-biter on the road at Georgia. Tennessee has not been great Against the Spread (ATS) this season, posting a 9-13 record, but they did cover three times during this four-game win streak.

Kentucky improved to 10-13 ATS after Wednesday night’s win over Oklahoma. Even though they have won seven of their last eight games, Kentucky is 4-6 ATS against SEC foes. Over bettors have cashed tickets in four of the last six games.

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The advantage goes to the underdog in this long-time SEC rivalry. Dogs are 7-4-1 over the last dozen games between Kentucky and Tennessee. The Cats have won six of their last eight games against the Vols.

The race to the top of the SEC is wide open. Kentucky has one of the most difficult schedules remaining. These two teams will likely be in a similar position in the SEC standings before the conference descends upon Nashville for the conference tournament in March. Two wins over Tennessee could go a long way to give Kentucky an advantage in tiebreaker scenarios. Hopefully, the Cats can continue dominating Rick Barnes when Mark Pope‘s squad takes the Rupp Arena floor in denim uniforms on Saturday night.