Kentucky basketball lost to Tennessee in 2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 of March Madness bracket, ending UK basketball's first season under Mark Pope.

The Wildcats shot a blistering 12-of-24 from three-point range in both of those earlier meetings, coming away with a 78-73 win on Jan. 28 and a 75-64 victory on Feb. 11 to hand the Volunteers two of their seven losses.

The Kentucky Wildcats face the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 28.

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The SportsLine Projection Model has revealed its Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers picks for the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Friday

Tennessee’s defense has been dominant through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. No. 15 seed Wofford was held to 62 points in the first round, and No. 7 seed UCLA failed to break 60 points. The Volunteers must forget the regular season losses against the Wildcats and keep the positive momentum rolling.

The Wildcats come off an 84-75 victory over a No. 6-seeded Illinois team. Senior guard Koby Brea recorded a team-high 23 points and contributed six rebounds and an assist. Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh each recorded double-digit points in the victory.

Madness broadcast for Tennessee basketball vs. Kentucky mistakenly used a Purdue logo instead of Kentucky's UK logo during the game.