Kentucky looks to record its 14th-consecutive 20-win season when Tennessee visits Rupp Arena Wednesday. The Volunteers are looking to avenge a 69-68 overtime loss to the Cats in Knoxville Jan. 20.

The Wildcats, fresh off a 68-59 road win over Auburn Saturday, try to provide UK?s Tubby Smith with his 11th consecutive 20-win season as a head coach. Smith has accomplished the feat in every season at Kentucky (six times) and Georgia (twice) and twice at Tulsa.

Kentucky claimed its fourth-consecutive series victory in Knoxville last month when Chuck Hayes scored off his own miss with 3:49 left in overtime to put the Cats up for good. But it was Cliff Hawkins who kept the Cats alive, nailing a deep three with 16.3 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime.

The Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee visits Lexington with 13-10 overall record and a 5-7 mark in conference action. The Volunteers have gone 3-6 since their last meeting with UK, including a loss Saturday at Georgia.

Transfer Scooter McFadgon leads the Vols with 18.1 ppg, while shooting an SEC-leading 91.5 percent (107-of-117) from the charity stripe. Junior Brandon Crump is averaging 15.6 ppg and 7.3 rpg and had a team-high 18 points in Saturday?s loss to the Bulldogs.

The Vols have tinkered with the starting lineup since last facing the Wildcats, inserting Major Wingate in the middle in place of Jemere Hendrix and subbing Stanley Asumnu for John Winchester. Wingate has started nine times this season, while Asumnu has 10 starts and averages 5.6 ppg.

UT coach Buzz Peterson holds a career record of 150-88 (.633) in eight seasons as a head coach.

Series History

Kentucky has played Tennessee more than any other opponent. This marks the 196th meeting between the squads, which first met on the hardwood Feb. 16, 1910 – a 26-5 UK win. It was the first future SEC team that the Wildcats ever played. The Cats own a 133-62 advantage in the series.

The Wildcats own a 78-15 advantage over the Volunteers in Lexington. UK has won 24 of the last 25 meetings in Lexington, including a 101-40 win over the Vols in the 1993 SEC Tournament. Kentucky?s last loss in Lexington came on Jan. 12, 1999, a 47-46 decision.

Tubby Smith is 13-5 all-time against the Vols, including a 9-4 mark while at UK. Buzz Peterson, in his third season at UT, is 1-4 against Kentucky after splitting the series in 2002, dropping both games to the Cats last season and falling in overtime in Knoxville in January. Peterson also served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt from 1993-96. The Commodores were 1-7 against UK during that time.

Wildcat-Volunteer Connections

Both Tubby Smith and Buzz Peterson both served as head coach at Tulsa – Smith from 1992-95 and Peterson in 2001. Smith led the Hurricane to a 79-43 record, two Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. Peterson’s Tulsa squad claimed the 2001 NIT title, finishing with a 26-11 record.

Peterson was recruited to play hoops at Kentucky by Joe B. Hall, and at the end of his official visit, he gave the staff a verbal commitment. But after returning home to Asheville, N.C., he chose to stay and play for North Carolina. The high school All-American was a member of the Tar Heels? 1982 national championship team and served as team co-captain as a senior in 1985. Peterson later served as best man in his roommate Michael Jordan’s wedding.

Tennessee associate head coach Chris Ferguson attended Cumberland College in Cumberland, Ky., from 1979-81.

UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart worked in administration at Tennessee from 1986-98, the last four years serving as the senior associate athletics director.