THE GAME PREVIEW: CATS-VOLS, GAME III

March 13, 2010

Kentucky Advances to SEC Tournament Semifinals

For the 37th time in program history, the Wildcats advanced to the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

UK is 34-2 in semifinal games, but will be making its first appearance in the “Final Four” round of the conference tournament since 2006, coincidentally in Nashville.

Gameday Information

Date & Time Sat., Mar. 13, 1:00 p.m ET
TV: ABC
Radio: BBSN
GameTracker
Online Audio
Location Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, TenN.

Tennessee Volunteers at a Glance

Head Coach Bruce Pearl
Overall Record 440-128
2009-10 Record 25-7, 11-5 SEC
Ranking 15 AP /13 ESPN/USA Today Coaches
Series Record Kentucky leads 143-66
Last Meeting Tennessee defeated Kentucky 74-65 in Knoxville, Tenn. earlier this season

2009-10 Team Stats UK UT

Scoring Offense 79.5 74.5
Scoring Defense 65.6 64.7
FG Percentage 47.8% 45.7%
3-point FG Percentage 34.3% 31.8%
FT Percentage 68.6% 67.0%
Rebound Margin +8.1 +1.2
Assists 14.7 14.4
Turnovers 14.6 13.2

2009-10 Stat Leaders

Scoring UK: John Wall (17.0)
UT: Wayne Chism (12.6)
Rebounding UK: DeMarcus Cousins (10.0)
UT: Wayne Chism (7.2)
Assists UK: John Wall (6.2)
UT: Bobby Maze (3.1)
3-point FG Percentage UK: DeAndre Liggins (39.4%)
UT: Cameron Tatum (39.3%)
Blocks UK: DeMarcus Cousins (1.
UT: Wayne Chism (1.4)
Steals UK: John Wall (1.7)
UT: J.P.Prince (1.6)

The Wildcats earned a berth in the semis with a 73-67 win over Alabama, running its record against the Crimson Tide to 12-2 in the tournament.

John Wall led all scorers with 23 points, to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. Patrick Patterson scored 20 points and Eric Bledsoe chipped in 10 respectively to join Wall in double figures.

DeMarcus Cousins finished with a team-high eight rebounds.

The Wildcats shot were particulary effective inside the three-point arc, shooting 24-of-37 (.649) to overcome 1-of-13 shooting from three-point range.

UK continued its dominance in the paint, outscoring the Tide 46-26.

Cat Scratches: UK-Tennessee Part 3

Orange and blue don't mix, but the two colors will clash on Saturday in Bridgestone Arena when the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers meet in the first semifinal game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The conference championship won't be decided until Sunday, but it's become clear through the first two days of the tournament that UK and Tennessee boast the two best fan bases of the tournament.

Thousands upon thousands of Big Blue fans have journeyed south to the Music City and packed Tennessee's backyard. It goes without saying that Tennessee orange has painted a good portion of the Music City as well.

On Saturday, the two colors will mix at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) in what expects to be an electric atmosphere in Bridgestone Arena.

"We are in Nashville, Tennessee, and we're going to try to defend our territory," Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said. "I understand that we've got some wonderful visitors from the north that probably rival Tennessee as the greatest fans in the country."