Cats and Vols fight like drunk second cousins tomorrow

Geez. Where to even start? First you have Kentucky. An obviously underachieving and not buying in Kentucky. Then, there is Tennessee. Who aren't underachieving and not buying in to Cuonzo Martin, there just not real good....that's all.

Which is exactly why this game may be closer than we like. Just like the Vandy game, we should have beat an inferior opponent by at least 12 , instead of relying on a blown shot-clock violation call. We just don't get it.

Tennessee shoots horrible....HORRIBLE. Something like 29% or less from the field. They come in at 8-6 and 0-2 in SEC play.  Herein lies the problem though, we aren't playing as advertised ourselves. The comforting aspect to this match-up is that we are back in the confines of God's Arena in Lex, and well, The Vols are horrible, but I feel like you know this. Unfortunately, that's where we suffered our last defeat, which was our last game out...

Downer: We were blown out in our last SEC outing at home.
Upside: We actually beat Texas A&M that day. We just didn't beat Elston Turner. So, technically, we are 2-0 in conference play.
Downer:We are 0-1 against Elston Turner.
Upside: The Volunteers are horrible. 

If there is any team that can relate to everybody getting their shots in on you when your down, UT can. Although, seriously, we are in way better shape than they are down in Knoxville whether we 'get it' or not.

The Cats, on average score just shy of 80 points per game, while the Vols score just shy of 70 a game. We have kids who are averaging double digits each time out,but those are obviously not rebounds.

Big Downer: Honestly, with the way we are playing, we might be just as bad as Tennessee.
Upside: Actually, we are probably not.

This isn't even really fair to hold this game, especially this season, on any sort of level of importance. Well, other than the fact that we need a win.

Tennessee, needs one worse than we do, if you can imagine that.

Mixing it up a little and throwing an Upside UT's way: Jarnell Stokes knows how to stretch now and Jimmy Dykes can rest easy knowing that The Vols are not just now getting into their rooms @ 2:00 am the night before a clash with the Cats... which he was so kind to tell us about....every damn second of last year's game in Knoxville.

We just really wanted to use this pic again.

Oh, and that's also the infamous Jimmy Dykes 'Full Grown Man" game in which he touted every aspect of Jarnell Stokes life and pretty much pitched enough tents over him that it looked like the sales floor at Dick's.

I see Tennessee and Marshall being very similar in type of opposition, mainly because both shoot as well as a neutered dog. It's probably going to unfold in a similar fashion to that previous encounter in Rupp against the Herd.

Game time 7:00 on ESPN.

So, it could be worse. We could be Tennessee.