Tennessee and Kansas hadn’t played in men’s basketball till 2009. This Saturday will mark the fifth time in the last 11 years that the two teams have faced-off, though.
The Vols (12-6) are in Lawrence, Kansas to take on the No. 3 Jayhawks (15-3) as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Tennessee is coming off two-straight SEC victories, and UT has won four of their last five games. Kansas has won three-straight games and six of their last seven, with their only loss in that stretch coming against now-No. 1 Baylor.
Kansas will be down two players when the Vols take them on. Forwards Silvio De Sousa and David McCormack are suspended for their roles in a post-game brawl that happened at the end of the Jayhawks’ victory over Kansas State on Tuesday. But Kansas will still have their top three players available, and Tennessee will still have plenty to contend with on the court.
All-time, Tennessee is just 1-3 against Kansas, with their only win coming in upset fashion back in 2010 when the undermanned No. 16 Vols upset No. 1 Kansas in Knoxville. These two teams played last year in the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament, and the Jayhawks prevailed in overtime.
Vol head coach Rick Barnes is no stranger to Kansas. He faced them on a yearly basis while he was the head coach at Texas, and he and Kansas head coach Bill Self have squared off nearly two dozen times.
Take a look at everything you need to know for tonight’s match-up. If you can’t make it to the game, here’s how you can watch or listen to today’s Tennessee vs. Kansas game.
Tip-Off: 4:00 Eastern, January 25th, Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, KS)
TV: ESPN (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Holly Rowe)
Streaming Online: ESPN.com/watch or ESPN app
Radio: Vol Network
Line: Kansas (-13.5)
