The Tennessee Volunteers got the best of the Kentucky Wildcats a season ago in splitting the regular season rivalry before knocking John Calipari’s squad out of the SEC Tournament in the semifinal round. Rick Barnes’ troops return home for this rivalry match fresh off an upset win in Tuscaloosa where they toppled the Alabama Crimson Tide as short dogs. The last time the Knoxville faithful saw their team in live action, they got embarrassed by the Texas A&M Aggies whom they closed as near 10-point favorites to defeat at online sportsbooks. While Jordan Bowden and company are sure to put their best foot forward, it’s going to take an optimum effort to get the best of the Wildcats as effective a brand of ball Nik Richards has been playing of late.
This SEC matchup is set to go down on Saturday, February 8, 2020. Tip-off will be at 1 p.m. ET from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. The game will be broadcast live on CBS. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Mississippi State entered Tuesday night’s venture into Rupp Arena winners in five of its previous six games with the lone defeat coming in the form of a 63-62 loss at Oklahoma as 2-point underdogs. In other words, the Dawgs were recently nothing short of money in the bank for CBB bettors (6-0 ATS). Be that as it may, Kentucky had little issue disposing of them regardless of the fact that the final score only read 80-72. The final margin was still enough to cover the 6.5-point spread, and the Wildcats were never in danger of losing the game. The effort was sorely needed after Kentucky let its previous game at Auburn get away late in the second half. The 75-66 final score ultimately dropped them to 3-2 SU and ATS when playing on the true road with the over cashing in four of those matchups.
Tennessee’s 69-68 outright win over the Tide came as quite the surprise after the team headed into the matchup losers of three straight against Kansas, Texas A&M and Mississippi State. They were competitive in the loss to the Jayhawks in falling 74-68 as 13-point dogs, but failed to show up against the Aggies and then followed it up with a less than inspiring effort in Starkville falling 86-73 as 5.5-point underdogs. But they weren’t going to be denied at Bama regardless of the fact that the offense only shot a miniscule 35 percent from the field and connected on just 2 of 18 shots from beyond the arc. The Vols did their damage by cleaning the glass outboarding Alabama 40-30, forcing turnovers (20) and getting to the charity stripe where they converted 23 of 32 attempts. Play like that on Saturday afternoon, and Rocky Top will be in for a show!
Key Stat
Tennessee’s interior defense leaves much to be desired. A healthy 51.4 percent of the 61.5 points allowed per game come from 2-point range (No. 216), and that’s an area Kentucky’s offense has taken advantage of throughout the entirety of the season. As already mentioned, Richards is currently playing with his hair on fire. He’s tied with Immanuel Quickley as the team’s leading scorers (14.6 PPG), but has also contributed in the rebounding (8.3) and blocked shot (2.2) departments as well. He just racked up 27 points and 11 rebounds against a similarly ranked Bulldogs 2-point defense, and has notched double-doubles in three of his last four games. KU’s Udoka Azubuike did as he pleased down low versus the Vols defense with 18 points and 11 rebounds. As dominant he is, he doesn’t possess the well-rounded game Richards brings with him to the hardwood. The Vols ability to clamp down on the Wildcats premiere post player will go a long way in deciding how this matchup ultimately plays out.
Prediction
This one has defensive grinder written all over it! Though the Vols hardly impress at the offensive end of the court with the unit averaging 66.6 points per game (No. 295) while ranking No. 120 in efficiency per KenPom, it can flat out ball at the defensive end of the court. Tennessee concedes just over 61 points per game (No. 22), guards the perimeter at an above average clip (No. 91) and ranks No. 39 in efficiency. Though Kentucky sports the better of the two offenses by far with it ranked No. 30 in efficiency while tickling the twine for over 75 points per game (No. 81), it’s horrendous from beyond the arc and doesn’t even try in lofting just 14.7 attempts per game. Though it’s a distinct possibility Kentucky finds a way to live at the free throw line in hostile territory with it forcing opponents into 20+ fouls per game (No. 15), points should be extremely tough to come by in this matchup. While the recent trend has seen the teams play to high scorers (3-1 L/4), the under has cashed at a 3-1 clip the last four times in Knoxville – hit the under!
College Basketball Pick: Kentucky 66, Tennessee 60
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