Date & Time: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN

KNOXVILLE- Tennessee is struggling and mired in a three-game losing streak. Not the state a team wants to be in when headed to Rupp Arena, where the Vols haven’t won since 2006. The Vols are 8-6 and have played themselves out of the NCAA Tournament field. If they hope to go dancing, they have to start winning, and winning now.

Fortunately for the Vols, this isn’t your typical Kentucky team (10-5). Calipari’s young squad has dropped two games in the usually impenetrable confines of Rupp Arena. Kentucky is as beatable as they’ve been in years; yet, this Tennessee team certainly hasn’t been playing well enough to strike fear in the Wildcats.

Trae Golden must return to form soon.
Photo by Reed Carringer

The Vols have struggled all season to find consistent offense without Maymon. Tennessee appeared to be rounding into form with wins over Wichita State and Xavier before point guard Trae Golden suffered a shoulder injury which clearly affected his game. Golden is just 7-35 his last 5 games. It’s safe to say Tennessee cannot win in Rupp without Golden returning to his pre-injury form. The good news for Vol fans: Golden appears to be getting healthier. He attacked the bucket late in the Alabama game and gave the Vols a chance to win, finishing with 8 points on 3-9 shooting.

Stokes has also been inconsistent. He’s struggled without Maymon in the paint, and at times lacks assertiveness. Cuonzo continues to challenge Jarnell to be more aggressive on offense. Look for the power forward to establish himself early against the Wildcats.

In sharp contrast to Stokes and Golden, Jordan McRae has flourished in recent weeks. The talented forward seems to have found his game and is clearly playing the best basketball of his career. McRae, now Tennessee’s leading scorer at 13.2 points per game, is averaging a ridiculous 24.3 points in his last three outings.

Cuonzo told us before the season, “We can’t have some guys go for 15 points one night and zero the next. We need consistency every game.” It was easy to tell he was talking about McRae and it seems like Jordan has developed the consistent attack Martin has been pushing for. Jordan is scoring in a variety of ways and has been unstoppable at times. He’s second in the SEC in scoring and shooting a robust 57% from the floor in league play.

The Vols will need to hit some outside looks as center Nerlens Noel, who leads the SEC in blocks, will be guarding the paint for the Wildcats. If that wasn’t enough, Kentucky’s athletic guards will challenge the Vols defensively. McRae needs to stay hot for the Tennessee to walk away from Rupp victorious.

Defensively, the Vols will have to slow Ryan Harrow and Archie Goodwin. The pair combine for nearly 30 points per game in league play.

Though this Kentucky team isn’t the Kentucky we’re used to seeing, the Vols undoubtably have a tough hill to climb. Tennessee will have to play their best game of the season if they hope to upset the Wildcats. We’ll know Tuesday night if they’re up to the test.