The Kentucky Wildcats face a tough challenge in the Sweet 16 as they prepare to take on SEC rival Tennessee on Friday night.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Wildcats enter the matchup as 4.5-point underdogs, meaning oddsmakers expect a close game but favor the Volunteers. Kentucky’s moneyline sits at +155, while Tennessee is the favorite at -188. The over/under for the game is set at 145.5 points, indicating expectations for a competitive but low-scoring affair by Kentucky’s standards.

Despite being the underdog, Kentucky has already defeated Tennessee twice this season, proving they can compete with one of the top teams in the country. Mark Pope’s squad has been playing good basketball at the right time, and if they can secure a third win over the Vols, they’ll move on to face either Houston or Purdue in the Elite Eight.

Looking at Kentucky’s Final Four odds, FanDuel lists the Cats at +600. In terms of the entire Sweet 16 field, nine teams have better odds of making the Final Four than Kentucky. Some sportsbooks give Kentucky the worst odds to make the Final Four out of the Midwest Region, though FanDuel has the Boilermakers trailing at +700 odds. Houston (-110) and Tennessee (+240) are ahead in the Midwest Region.

And finally, the FanDuel odds to win the national championship have Kentucky getting the sixth-lowest odds at +5500. Tennessee has the fifth-highest championship odds at +1600.

While the road won’t be easy, the Wildcats have shown resilience and the ability to step up in the biggest moments.

With their season on the line, Kentucky will need another strong performance from its key players to keep their championship hopes alive. If they can extend their winning streak against Tennessee, the Wildcats will be one game away from their first Final Four since 2015.

Tennessee remains the No. 1 team in college baseball.

The Vols (22-2, 5-1 SEC) maintained their top billing in the D1Baseball Top 25 for the second-straight week on Monday after winning their second-straight conference series over Alabama this past weekend.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Tennessee led the way in the SEC in the rankings. Ten teams from the league were featured in the poll, including six in the top 10.

Arkansas was No. 2, followed by No. 3 Georgia, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 LSU, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 11 Auburn, No. 12 Alabama, No. 14 Vanderbilt and No. 15 Ole Miss.

The Vols went 2-2 last week, losing to ETSU at home in extra innings before dropping the first of three against the Crimson Tide, 6-5.

The Vols responded by winning the next two, 10-7 on Friday and and 9-2 in the series finale on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

Tennessee hosts Queens on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, then will go back on the road for a three-game tilt at South Carolina this weekend at Foudners Park in Columbia.

1. Tennessee (22-2)

2. Arkansas (23-2)

3. Georgia (24-2)

4. Florida State (20-3)

5. Oregon State (18-4)

6. Clemson (23-3)

7. Texas (19-3)

8. LSU (22-3)

9. Oklahoma (20-3)

10. Oregon (19-5)

11. Auburn (19-5)

12. Alabama (22-3)

13. Southern Miss (18-6)

14. Vanderbilt (19-5)

15. Ole Miss (18-5)

16. Wake Forest (19-6)

17. Dallas Baptist (16-7)

18. Louisville (18-5)

19. UC Irvine (17-5)

20. Stanford (15-6)

21. North Carolina (18-6)

22. Troy (18-6)

23. Arizona (18-5)

24. UCLA (18-5)

25. Georgia Tech (20-4)

The Tennessee Volunteers are set to play the Kentucky Wildcats in the sweet sixteen.

After Tennessee defeated UCLA on Saturday and Kentucky defeated Illinois on Sunday, the two SEC programs will face off against one another in the sweet sixteen round.

The two teams faced off against one another twice during the regular season. The first go around, Kentucky won on the road 78-73. A couple of weeks later, the Wildcats defeated the Volunteers again, this time at home, by a final score of 75-64. Needless to say, not the best feeling for Tennessee going into this matchup, but the Volunteers have certainly proven they are one of the best teams in the country.

Kentucky defeated both Troy and Illinois en route to playing Tennessee. The Volunteers went up against Wofford and UCLA. This is the first time in matchup history that both programs will have played in the NCAA tournament.

A date and time has not yet been announced for the matchup.

As the sweet sixteen round approaches, here are the most updated national title odds.

All odds presented by FanDuel.

– Duke +260
– Florida +400
– Auburn +490
– Houston +550
– Tennessee +1600
– Texas Tech +2000
– Alabama +2000
– Iowa State +2700
– Michigan State +3000

The Vols will face the winner of Illinois and Kentucky in the Sweet 16. They have already played both opponents on the year. They are (1-0) vs Illinois with a 2-point win and they went winless against Kentcuy in their two matchups this season. Though with the way Chaz Lanier is scoring at the moment, they are capable of beating anyone.

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