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A pair of SEC rivals will square off in the Sweet 16 on Friday.
No. 3 seed Kentucky handed No. 2 Tennessee two of their seven losses this season in one of the weirder quirks of these eight matchups on Thursday and Friday, but I think the third time will be a charm for the Volunteers.
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Tennessee vs. Kentucky prediction
There’s one big stat that makes me believe the Wildcats may have gotten lucky beating Tennessee twice this season — their 3-point shooting.
Kentucky went 12-for-24 from downtown in both meetings against Tennessee, marking two of the five times the Wildcats shot at least 50 percent from beyond the arc this season.
Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Fiserv Forum. Benny Sieu-Imagn ImagesKentucky vs. Tennessee pick
While the Wildcats are one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the country, hitting 37.4 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc, the 25th-best rate in college basketball, allowing that type of output was wildly uncharacteristic for the Volunteers.
Outside of their matchups with Kentucky, Tennessee was stifling beyond the arc, holding opponents to just 28.3 percent from three, the third-best rate in the country.
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The two Kentucky games were the only times their opponent shot better than 44.4 percent from three this season.
Sounds like a fluke to me.
The play: Kentucky under 69.5 total points (-110, BetMGM Sportsbook)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
