We all knew it was good for the resume even when Wisconsin wasn't ranked—it's tough to win in Madison, period. But I don't think I expected Wisconsin to crack the top 10. A 10-point true road win against a top 10 team is super impressive. Depending on how things shake out in the Big 10, it could end up being one of the more notable wins on any resume.
If you look at KenPom, you can almost predict what the lines will be on your own. Home court is weighted a little different for each venue I believe (I don’t think each team is given a fixed amount of points for the home court advantage) but on a neutral court, KP lines would put us somewhere around a 5 point favorite. I think this one might be close to a pick ‘em or the Vols favored by 1-1.5
I think the outcome of tonight’s game with Carolina and Kentucky’s game with Florida tomorrow will have an impact on the line for the game at Rupp. If Tennessee goes in there and pulls out a win with a 8:30 tip time on national TV, ESPN in the house, then I’d say might be Barnes biggest road win ever during his tenure at UT. The stakes could not be any higher for Kentucky, a chance for them to knock off a top 5 team in their house. The building will be electric and that crowd will be juiced up with liquor and Red Bull. Should be a fun and unique experience for our players and a great opportunity to send a message that UT has the physical and mental toughness to hold up in an hostile environment. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, the officials will probably have a huge impact on this game. If they lean to the homers, which they normally do, then we may be in for a challenge that is unattainable.
