The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have rebounded nicely after a very poor start. Wake Forest lost its first three games, and four of its first five, but has now won six straight. Now, the Demon Deacons will try to pick up a nice non-conference win when the Tennessee Volunteers come into town. Tennessee is getting a lot of love from the national media after its performance against North Carolina last weekend, with some even calling them a dark horse to win the SEC.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, December 23, 2017, at 12:30 p.m. ET at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
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Tennessee is sitting at 7-2 on the year and it’s two losses came against Villanova and North Carolina. The Volunteers have picked up some nice wins already, knocking off Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, and Purdue. They actually led much of the way against North Carolina, but couldn’t hit baskets at the end.
The Demon Deacons had some awful losses at the start of the year. Wake Forest lost to Georgia Southern, Liberty, and Drake in non-conference play despite being big favorites in every game. Over this team’s last six, things have gone better. Wake Forest is 3-1-1 ATS, the win over Army didn’t have a line, and knocked off Richmond and Illinois.
Matchup to Watch
If Wake Forest is going to win this one, it has to find a way to defend the three. The Demon Deacons have been awful at stopping teams from beyond the arc this season. They are allowing opposing shooters to hit 39.6 percent of their threes, a number that is one of the worst in the country.
That was one of the big reasons why Wake Forest lost its first three games this year. All three of the teams that upset them shot at least 40 percent from downtown, with Drake hitting 50 percent of its threes.
Tennessee is one of the nation’s best at shooting from distance. The Volunteers are averaging almost 22 three-point attempts per game, and are hitting over 40 percent of their attempts.
Jordan Bowden has been the team’s best marksman. He is 18-30 from beyond the arc this season and has come up big against Tennessee’s big-name opponents.
Player to Watch
Doral Moore is one of the most efficient scorers in the country. With John Collins leaving early for the NBA, Moore has become Wake Forest’s main low-post threat and is punishing teams in the blocks.
The seven-footer from Atlanta is only playing 22 minutes a game, but has made a big impact when he is on the court. Moore is hitting an absurd 85.2 percent of his field goals, a phenomenal number. It’s not like he is barely shooting either, as he is averaging 5.5 field goals a game.
Moore is pulling down a lot of rebounds too. He is playing just a little bit over a half per game, yet he is grabbing almost eight boards an outing. If he can stay out of foul trouble, those numbers will improve.
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Danny Manning seems to have a knack for coaching big men. As a former big man, he has been able to take both Collins and Moore under his wing and impart some of his knowledge. That helped Wake Forest turn it around last season.
However, the three-point defense is just going to be too much to overcome. Tennessee is going to be able to hit from downtown all game long against this team. Look for the Vols to pick up a very nice road win.
College Basketball Odds: Tennessee 81, Wake Forest 74
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