What is Rick Barnes' record against Kentucky? Tennessee basketball coach vs. Wildcats

Rick Barnes is heading into his 20th matchup with Kentucky as the Tennessee basketball coach.

The No. 5 Vols (15-5, 5-2 SEC) face the No. 8 Wildcats (15-5, 5-3) on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Rupp Arena. It is the 10th time UT and UK have met as ranked teams in Barnes' tenure and the fourth time with both teams ranked in the top 10.

Barnes is in his ninth season as the Vols coach after he was hired in April 2015.

What is Rick Barnes' record against Kentucky as Tennessee basketball coach?

Rick Barnes is 10-9 as the Tennessee coach against Kentucky. He is 8-8 in the regular season with a 2-1 record in the SEC Tournament, including a semifinal win on the path to the 2022 SEC Tournament title, which was the Tennessee's first since 1979.

He has a 5-3 record against UK at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, where he won his first four matchups against the Wildcats. The first two featured an unranked Vols team beating a ranked Wildcats team.

What is Rick Barnes' record at Rupp Arena?

Barnes led the Vols on a roaring run at Rupp Arena from 2018-2021, winning three of four matchups in the stretch.

Tennessee won 61-59 powered by a late 3-pointer from Lamonte Turner on Feb. 6, 2018. It won 81-73 on March 3, 2020, erasing a 17-point deficit thanks to 27 points from John Fulkerson. Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer combined for 50 points in another comeback win, an 82-71 victory on Feb. 6, 2021.

How Rick Barnes has fared against Kentucky

Here are the results for Barnes against Kentucky:

• Feb, 2, 2016 in Knoxville: Tennessee 84, No. 20 Kentucky 77

• Feb. 18, 2016 in Lexington: No. 14 Kentucky 80, Tennessee 70

• Jan. 24, 2017 in Knoxville: Tennessee 82, No. 4 Kentucky 80

• Feb. 14, 2017 in Lexington: No. 11 Kentucky 83, Tennessee 58

• Jan. 6, 2018 in Knoxville: No. 22 Tennessee 76, No. 14 Kentucky 65

• Feb. 6, 2018 in Lexington: No. 14 Tennessee 61, No. 24 Kentucky 59

• March 11, 2018 in St. Louis: No. 20 Kentucky 77, No. 12 Tennessee 72

• Feb. 16, 2019 in Lexington: No. 5 Kentucky 86, No. 1 Tennessee 69

• March 2, 2019 in Knoxville: No. 7 Tennessee 71, No. 4 Kentucky 52

• March 16, 2019 in Nashville: No. 8 Tennessee 82, No. 4 Kentucky 78

• Feb. 8, 2020 in Knoxville: No. 16 Kentucky 77, Tennessee 64

• March 3, 2020 in Lexington: Tennessee 81, No. 6 Kentucky 73

• Feb. 6, 2021 in Lexington: No. 10 Tennessee 82, Kentucky 71

• Feb. 20, 2021 in Knoxville: Kentucky 70, No. 20 Tennessee 55

• Jan. 15, 2022 in Lexington: No. 17 Kentucky 107, No. 23 Tennessee 79

• Feb. 15, 2022 in Knoxville: No. 13 Tennessee 76, No. 3 Kentucky 63

• March 9, 2022 in Tampa: No. 11 Tennessee 69, No. 5 Kentucky 62

• Jan. 14, 2023 in Knoxville: Kentucky 63, No. 5 Tennessee 56

• Feb. 18, 2023 in Lexington: Kentucky 66, No. 11 Tennessee 54

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rick Barnes: Tennessee basketball coach vs. Kentucky with Vols