Coaches constantly preach taking it one game a time.

Thankfully, we’re not required to follow that rule.

This is a big week for Kentucky basketball. Vanderbilt visits Rupp Arena for a late 9 p.m. Senior Night tipoff on Wednesday. Kentucky handled the Commodores 109-77 in Nashville on Feb. 6. So the Cats will need to take care of business before the week’s main attraction.

Saturday’s 4 p.m. rematch with Tennessee in Knoxville is a more compelling matter. It’s the regular-season finale. It’s also a measuring stick for John Calipari’s young team, which lost to the Vols 103-92 in Lexington on Feb. 3. The Cats have won five of their last six, with the lone loss a one-point, last-second decision at LSU.

Kentucky’s offense is in overdrive. The Cats have scored 319 points in their last three games, an average of 106.3 per outing. They scored 117 in a 22-point win over Alabama; 91 in a two-point buzzer-beater win at Mississippi State, then 111 Saturday in a nine-point race horse of a victory over Arkansas. It was the highest-scoring SEC regular-season game since 1996.

“I told Jay Wright (of CBS) that at one point, I was like let them score so we can get it back,” Calipari said afterward. “That isn’t what I said but that’s what it looked like.”

Defense remains the fly in UK’s ointment. Arkansas shot 53.1% Saturday, the third consecutive team to shoot 50% or better against Calipari’s club. The Razorbacks entered the game ranked 121st in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency numbers. Eric Musselman’s club departed with their SEC high in points, including 48 points in the paint.

“We had to outscore them,” Calipari said.