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Rick Barnes has turned Kentucky vs. Tennessee into seesaw affair

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2 years ago

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Rick Barnes has turned Kentucky vs. Tennessee into seesaw affair


Rick Barnes Talks Before The Vols Travel To Kentucky

Kentucky and Tennessee will meet on the hardwood for the 238th time on Saturday night at Rupp Arena. No program has more wins over the Wildcats than the Volunteers (77) but that is mostly due to the fact that these two SEC programs play multiple times per season. Despite Kentucky’s overall dominance in the series (.678 winning percentage), the Vols have made the rivalry series much more interesting in recent seasons.

Following the 2014-15 season, Tennessee hired former George Mason, Providence, Clemson, and Texas head coach Rick Barnes to take over the basketball program on Rocky Top. The 69-year-old has thrived at Tennessee with four 25-plus win seasons, five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, one SEC regular season title, and one SEC Tournament title. These are the glory years for the Vols on the hardwood.

Barnes has helped make the Kentucky series a dead heat.

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From 2010-15, John Calipari was 9-3 against Tennessee as Kentucky’s head men’s basketball coach with season sweeps in 2011 and 2012 against Bruce Pearl and Cuonzo Martin. That has changed against Barnes.

Since his arrival in Knoxville, Barnes has accumulated a 10-9 record against Kentucky with two wins in the SEC Tournament and a regular season sweep in 2018. Last year was the first season under Barnes where Tennessee did not collect a victory against Kentucky after the Wildcats swept the Vols for the first time in a decade.

Entering a pivotal college basketball weekend, Kentucky and Tennessee are fresh off home losses and each trails Alabama (7-1) in the SEC title race. Both need a win to keep pace. Saturday night in downtown Lexington will be a big moment. Barnes’ track record tells us that Tennessee is a legitimate threat to win on the road. Tennessee has won three times in Rupp Arena under Barnes.

Kentucky will be looking for three wins in a row in this series for the first time since 2012-13. An argument can be made that this is the best current basketball rivalry in the SEC.



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Tennessee

Vols Make Splash Hire With Jim Knowles | VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Tennessee Football | The RTI Low Down | Rocky Top Insider

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2 hours ago

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December 14, 2025

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Vols Make Splash Hire With Jim Knowles | VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Tennessee Football | The RTI Low Down | Rocky Top Insider


RTI Low-Down
The RTI Low-Down with Bob Baskerville and Chris Low. Episodes are available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify platforms.

On this week’s episode of The RTI Low Down, Bob Baskerville and Chris Low are diving into a huge week for the Tennessee Football program.

The guys start the show by discussing the Vols’ big move to fire Tim Banks and the splash hire in acquiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Bob and Chris are then joined by VFL and SEC Legend Kevin Burnett to talk about his time on Rocky Top, his thoughts on playing under defensive coordinators, Josh Heupel’s current team, and more.

The guys close down the show by breaking down Tennessee’s 2026 schedule, Vol Hoops’ tough test on the hardwood this week, and much more. Download and subscribe TODAY!

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The RTI Low-Down is brought to you by the Tate Insurance Group. Find out more information at www.tateinsurancegroup.com

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More from RTI: Tennessee Football 2025 Transfer Tracker – Who has Announced They’re Entering the Portal So Far

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0:00 Intro
8:30 Tennessee Fires Tim Banks, Hires Jim Knowles
21:25 VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Vol Football!
43:20 UT 2026 Schedule
50:17 Tennessee Basketball Faces Huge Test on Tuesday
1:01:06 Close



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Remembering one of Middle Tennessee’s largest tornado outbreaks 4 years later

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14 hours ago

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December 14, 2025

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Remembering one of Middle Tennessee’s largest tornado outbreaks 4 years later


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Four years ago, Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky were impacted by one of the largest tornado outbreaks on record. On Dec. 10 and 11, 2021, a tornado outbreak impacted areas from Arkansas and Missouri all the way into northern Indiana and Ohio. There was a total of 66 tornadoes; 16 of […]



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Tennessee

Tracking Music City Bowl opt outs for Tennessee and Illinois

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1 day ago

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December 13, 2025

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Tracking Music City Bowl opt outs for Tennessee and Illinois


Tracking the opt outs for both Tennessee and Illinois before the Music City Bowl on December 30 (5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville:

Tennessee

Linebacker Arion Carter: Carter over the last seasons had 96 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 31 career games. He had a team-high 76 tackles this season, with 6.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while appearing in 10 games. He missed two games and was limited against Oklahoma in November while dealing with turf toe injuries. Carter had 68 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss in 13 games last season and 17 tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss in eight games as a freshman in 2023. 

Wide Receiver Chris Brazzell II: He a breakout senior season in his second year with the Vols, catching 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 19 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, after transferring from Tulane. In 15 games at Tulane he caught 45 passes for 722 yards and five touchdowns. Brazzell is ranked No. 7 at wide receiver on Mel Kiper Jr.’s NFL Draft Big Board. He’s ranked No. 34 overall on ESPN’s list of the best available prospects in the draft.

Cornerback Jermod McCoy: Did not play this season after tearing his ACL during offseason training in January. He was a star last season with 44 tackles, nine passes defended and four interceptions. He had 31 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games as a freshman at Oregon State before transferring to Tennessee. 

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Illinois

Offensive Tackle J.C. Davis: Bret Bielema said the Illinois starting left tackle is opting out of the Music City Bowl. He was an All-Big Ten First Team pick by the league coaches this season and the No. 3 left tackle this season according to Pro Football Focus grades. He had made 49 straight starts before opting out of the bowl game.

EDGE Gabe Jacas: The Illinois outside linebacker declared for the NFL Draft on Friday night. He led the Big Ten this season with 11.0 sacks. He had 13.5 tackles for loss and 43 total tackles in 12 games this season. He finishes second in Illinois program history for career sacks, with 27.0, trailing only Simeon Rice. Jacas had 74 tackles, 8.0 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss last season, after combining for 8.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss in his first two seasons at Illinois.



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