Five things about Kentucky’s next opponent, the Tennessee Volunteers:
1. The Vols were surprisingly impressive in non-conference play
Picked to finish 13th out of 14 SEC teams by the collected genius of the media, the Vols made a mockery of those prognostication powers during the non-conference season.
They were 9-2 heading into SEC play. They beat No. 18 Purdue in the Battle 4 Atlantis. They led Villanova by 15 before losing 85-76 to the Wildcats in Atlantis. They finished that trip with a win over North Carolina State.