Ah, a day that’s been 30 years in the making. Do you have your outfit picked out, maybe a jean jacket and baggy Levi’s with a throwback Untouchables t-shirt underneath? We know the Kentucky Wildcats certainly have theirs ready to roll, sharing the grand reveal on Friday alongside the debut of Devin Booker’s second signature sneaker, the Nike Book 2, with an exclusive ‘Must Be The Denim’ colorway. The players already got theirs and will be wearing them today against Tennessee, fans can pick up a pair at “The Book 2 Fair” in Lexington on Saturday — your only chance to buy them ahead of the March retail launch.
That all overlaps with the 1996 reunion, Mark Pope hosting all of his former teammates in town to celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of the greatest teams and championship runs in college basketball history. The current Wildcats will be taking on the Volunteers in the old iconic uniforms, with the players who helped make the polarizing look famous in attendance. Talk about pressure to live up to the championship standard at Rupp Arena!
And did we mention the Vols? We sure did — a couple of times, actually, but only in passing. Let’s not forget to keep our eyes on the main prize today: Kentucky can earn a second straight regular season sweep against Tennessee with a win. All of the other stuff is fun and adds to the excitement of the day, but nothing matters more than making it eight wins out of nine while sitting just a half-game back out of first place in the SEC. The Wildcats control their destiny to a double-bye at the SEC Tournament, currently third in the league behind Texas A&M and Florida, but the door is open for an even bigger move if they handle business today.
Needless to say, it’s a big day, folks. Pour another cup of coffee and let’s get ready for it together.
Tennessee is ‘evolving,’ led by Nate Ament’s explosion
What’s different about the Vols today from three weeks ago in Knoxville? Well, they haven’t lost since that day on January 17, for one, earning four straight wins over Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and Ole Miss. Three of those are Quad 1 victories with two on the road, bringing their total to five on the year, sitting at No. 20 in the NET.
More specifically, it’s been the Nate Ament show for UT, picking up right where he left off with that 14-point second-half performance against UK. In the four games since, the former five-star is averaging 24.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 36.5 minutes per outing.
In Pope’s eyes, Rick Barnes deserves a ton of credit for turning a team that was playing .500 basketball between Thanksgiving and mid-January into one of the hottest in the country.
“They are evolving, for sure,” Pope said. “Rick does this throughout the season, he kind of adds to the playlist as they go. They’ve opened up the playbook a little bit. They’re doing more. … Lineup-wise, they’ve kinda shuffled the rotation, some of the responsibilities, some of the touches, but Tennessee is always going to be Tennessee. Hard-nosed, best offensive rebounding team in the country.
“Really, really hard-nosed. Hang their hat on the defensive end and their physicality and their ruggedness. That part is always the same.”
Rick Barnes demands 40 minutes from Tennessee
The Wildcats were dead in the water at Thompson-Boling Arena, down 17 points with Volunteer fans ready to cave the roof in. Then came the comeback, led by Denzel Aberdeen with 18 in the second half and Kentucky shooting 50 percent overall and 60 percent from three in the final 20 minutes. That’s how you get an 80-78 win for the blue and an epic collapse for the orange.
The half-to-half inconsistency got them beat in Knoxville, and it’ll get ’em beat again in Lexington if they don’t compete for 40 minutes, Barnes said ahead of the rematch.
“Just so many breakdowns,” he explained. “And again, I don’t ever like to take anything away from the team that beat us because they exploited what we didn’t do. But we were really poor in ball-screen coverage, 3-point line coverage, you name it, offensive rebounding. They had their way in the second half doing what they wanted to do. And their execution was just so much better than ours. And we’ve got to be better, plain and simple. And from here on out, if you don’t play forty minutes, regardless of who you’re playing, you’re going to get beat.”
Kentucky vs. No. 25 Tennessee: How to Watch, Listen
- Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes)
- Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
- AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
- FM: 98.1 WBUL
- Online: iHeart Radio
- Sirius XM: 374
You can also follow along on the KSR LIVE BLOG, which will start a few hours before tipoff, and join the conversation on KSBoard.
Availability Report reveals no surprises for Cats (but some for Vols)
As expected, Jaland Lowe, Jayden Quaintance and Kam Williams have all been ruled out for Kentucky ahead of the late-night matchup vs. Tennessee. No other surprises for the good guys on the Availability Report, released on Friday.
As for the Vols, there are four different players listed, starting with junior forward Cade Phillips out once again. He hasn’t played since December 6, so no shocker there. Elsewhere, though, starting forward Felix Okpara (calf) is listed as questionable, as are guards Amaree Abram and Troy Henderson.
Okpara finished with five points, six rebounds and a block in the first Kentucky matchup while Abram and Henderson combined for three points in 11 minutes.
Return of the denim will be ’emotional’ and ‘special’ for Pope
They were polarizing at the time, but fans found themselves falling in love with the denim uniforms with each win en route to the 1996 national championship. Today, the early returns of the new throwbacks are nothing but positive.
For Pope, who wore them as a player, then will be coaching his players in them as the leader of the program, it’s an emotional day.
“I think that’s part of the great story, right?” Pope said. “We didn’t fall in love with the team because of the denim. We fell in love with the denim because of the experience that we all got to share together. That’s actually what gives it its life. That’s special. … I love it. It’s emotional for me, it’s special for me.
“I think it’s a connection point for all of us, so it’ll be a great celebration. It’s fun to have ’em back. The whole denim vibe, I think is awesome. I think we’re gonna enjoy it.”
The denim is back … now let’s #TurnUpRupp
pic.twitter.com/UTiec5Z89O
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 7, 2026
Stop by the Book 2 Fair Pop-up Event before the game
Gonna be in Lexington today before the game? You can get your hands on a pair of the ‘Nike Book 2 Must Be The Denim’ by attending the Book 2 Fair Pop-up Event. Denim notebooks will also be included as a gift with purchase.
It will also be an immersive experience for fans to enjoy interactive photo moments, archival school newspapers and a glimpse into UK’s history and culture. They’re calling it a “full denim takeover of the event space,” too, which should be pretty neat.
That’s taking place at the UK Downtown Studio at the following location from 2 PM to 8 PM ET:
- 410 W. Vine Street, Lexington, KY 40507
Two Hibbett locations will also carry the exclusive sneaker on Saturday, February 7th during normal business hours:
- 524 W. New Circle Rd., Lexington, KY 40511
- 3174 Richmond Rd., Lexington, KY 40509
Time to beat the Tennessee Volunteers. Again.