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Playing in the SEC during the 2024-25 season has Kentucky point guard Lamont Butler feeling confident.
Following the Wildcats' 84-75 victory over Illinois on Sunday, Butler expressed how he felt competition in the SEC helped prepare Kentucky for the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament and against its next foe, Tennessee. The SEC sent a record 14 teams to the Big Dance and broke another record with seven teams in the Sweet 16.
REQUIRED READING: NCAA Tournament results, championship odds for SEC: Record 7 teams make Sweet 16
One of those matchups includes No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Kentucky in the Midwest Regional regional semifinal. The Wildcats are already 2-0 against the Vols this season. But Butler is confident Kentucky can win a third game against Tennessee this season. Tennessee-Kentucky are scheduled to play at 7:39 p.m. ET Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
"We're just battle-tested throughout this whole conference," Butler said in his postgame press conference. "(The) conference was a beast. We had a lot of good teams that we played, but we stayed resilient, stayed together. And it showed today.
"Everybody was playing with love and passion for one another, and we can't focus about anything but the next game. We just have a lot of love, and we're going to win that game."
The Sweet 16 matchup will be the first time the Vols and Wildcats face off in the NCAA Tournament, despite having played one another 241 times since 1910. Kentucky leads the all-time series 163-78.
The Wildcats defeated Tennessee 78-73 on Jan. 28 at the Food City Center in Knoxville. They followed it up with a 75-64 win at Rupp Arena on Feb. 11. The Wildcats have won three straight over the Vols and seven of the last 10 matchups.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lamont Butler expresses confidence in beating Tennessee in Sweet 16
Continue reading...
Following the Wildcats' 84-75 victory over Illinois on Sunday, Butler expressed how he felt competition in the SEC helped prepare Kentucky for the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament and against its next foe, Tennessee. The SEC sent a record 14 teams to the Big Dance and broke another record with seven teams in the Sweet 16.
REQUIRED READING: NCAA Tournament results, championship odds for SEC: Record 7 teams make Sweet 16
One of those matchups includes No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Kentucky in the Midwest Regional regional semifinal. The Wildcats are already 2-0 against the Vols this season. But Butler is confident Kentucky can win a third game against Tennessee this season. Tennessee-Kentucky are scheduled to play at 7:39 p.m. ET Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
"We're just battle-tested throughout this whole conference," Butler said in his postgame press conference. "(The) conference was a beast. We had a lot of good teams that we played, but we stayed resilient, stayed together. And it showed today.
"Everybody was playing with love and passion for one another, and we can't focus about anything but the next game. We just have a lot of love, and we're going to win that game."
The Sweet 16 matchup will be the first time the Vols and Wildcats face off in the NCAA Tournament, despite having played one another 241 times since 1910. Kentucky leads the all-time series 163-78.
The Wildcats defeated Tennessee 78-73 on Jan. 28 at the Food City Center in Knoxville. They followed it up with a 75-64 win at Rupp Arena on Feb. 11. The Wildcats have won three straight over the Vols and seven of the last 10 matchups.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lamont Butler expresses confidence in beating Tennessee in Sweet 16
Continue reading...
