How To Watch: No. 18 Tennessee Basketball vs. Northern Kentucky

It’s an off week for Tennessee Football, but Tennessee Basketball isn’t taking Saturday off. The 18th-ranked Vols are back home to host Northern Kentucky Saturday afternoon against Northern Kentucky at Food City Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern Time on SEC Network+.

Saturday’s game is the first between Tennessee (1-0) and Northern Kentucky (1-0). 

The Vols open the season with five straight home games — Mercer, Northern Kentucky, North Florida (Wednesday), Rice (Nov. 17) and Tennessee State (Nov. 20) — before going to Las Vegas for the Players Era Men’s Championship at the MGM Grand. 

How to Watch: No. 18 Tennessee vs. Northern Kentucky

When: Saturday, 3 p.m. Eastern Time | Where: Food City Center

Streaming: SEC Network+ (Zack Nelson, Steve Hamer)

Radio: WNML 99.1 FM in Knoxville (Mike Keith, Chris Lofton). The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.

SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM App

KenPom Prediction: Tennessee 84, Northern Kentucky 57

Tennessee ranked No. 15 in KenPom ratings

Tennessee is ranked No. 15 overall in the KenPom.com ratings. The Vols are ranked No. 4 in adjusted defensive efficiency (90.9) and No. 39 in adjusted defensive efficiency (114.6). Northern Kentucky is No. 278 overall in KenPom while ranked No. 26 on defense (108.5) and No. 280 on offense (280).

Northern Kentucky opened the season with a 126-69 win over Division II Cincinnati Clermont on Monday. Forward Kael Robinson scored a team-high 25 points and was one of six NKU players that scored 13 or more points in the win. 

Tennessee opened the season with a 76-61 win over Mercer Monday in Knoxville. Nate Ament had 18 points and nine rebounds and JP Estrella had 12 points and five rebounds off the bench. 

‘These games are great for us, meaning games at Tennessee’

Northern Kentucky coach Darrin Horn is in his sixth season at the school, with a 114-76 overall record and a 75-41 mark in Horizon League play. He was South Carolina’s head coach from 2008-12, going 60-63 with the Gamecocks, and went 111-48 in five seasons at Western Kentucky from 2003-08.

He was an assistant coach at Texas from 2015-19, working under former Longhorn head coach Shaka Smart, before getting the Northern Kentucky job.

“These games are great for us, meaning games at Tennessee,” Horn said Monday night, “because they give us an opportunity to really test ourselves early, to play against really physical competition. And to be on the road in a great basketball environment. We always want to get at least one of those in every year.”

“… I think our guys are excited for the challenge and for the opportunity to play in a game like that.”