Having just put an end to a two-game losing streak from seemingly out of nowhere, the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers will attempt to rattle off a second straight victory on Saturday evening when they welcome the No. 15 ranked Kansas Jayhawks into Rocky Top for a fourth meeting between the two schools in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Recent losing streaks finds each club well off the pace of the top team in their respective conference title races, but each knows full well a win would do wonders for the resumes in the eyes of the selection committee come March. The Vols are yet to defeat KU in any of the three previously played meetings dating back to the 2014 season, but they did go into the Phog and cover as 13-point underdogs in falling 74-68 a season ago.
This non-conference matchup will take place on Saturday, January 30, 2021. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN with the game broadcast live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
The Jayhawks own a rock solid starting five with Ochai Agbaji, Jaden Wilson, David McCormack, Christian Braun and Marcus Garrett all checking in with double digits scoring averages. Unfortunately, Kansas has next to nothing after that. With that, it comes with little surprise to see this year’s installment struggling to find much of any consistency at either end of the court. It ranks No. 103 in scoring offense and No. 137 in scoring defense. Not terrible but nowhere near the level fans of the program have gotten used to over the years. One area Tennessee will own a decisive advantage is at the defensive end of the court. The Pomeroy Ratings currently have John Fulkerson and his mates’ owners of the second best defensive efficiency in the country. Even so, it’s been tallied against a schedule strength ranked No. 70 overall. For comparison’s sake, KU’s cast of opponents clock in at No. 3. If UT is to defend its hardwood, it’s going to need to score some points in this one.
Kansas Jayhawks
Checking in at 10-5 overall and 4-4 in conference play already with a loss to Baylor under the belt; the Jayhawks don’t look to have any real shot of catching the Bears atop the B12 standings. Bill Self’s kids did themselves no favors last time out dropping a third straight to an Oklahoma Sooners squad it disposed of earlier in the season at the Phog Allen Fieldhouse. OU gave them issues in that game and did so once again last Saturday after draining 9 of 24 3-point shots and converting 18 of 22 free throws to log the 75-68 win and cover as 1-point home dogs. KU got manhandled on the glass 35-25 and committed 20 personal fouls to fall to 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS playing away from Lawrence. Mind you, one of those covers was accrued at the gun versus Baylor in a game many that laid the points with the Bears likely still haven’t gotten over.
Tennessee Volunteers
At one point this season, the Vols ranked No. 6 in the country and clocked in as the team to beat in the SEC. After dropping two straight to Florida and Missouri in a pair of uninspiring efforts, Rick Barnes’ kids will enter this non-con tilt with the Jayhawks ranked No. 18 overall and sitting behind both Alabama and Mizzou on the SEC title odds. But with talented frosh Jaden Springer back in the mix for Tuesday’s home tilt against Mississippi State, Tennessee found its way back into the win column by handing HailState a 56-53 defeat. Though it came nowhere close to covering the closing 9.5-point spread, the win was sorely needed for a team many believed was Final Four worthy before going on a mini tailspin. Bothersome still was the team’s inability to compete with MSST on the glass after getting outboarded 39-28 while only shooting 37 percent as a team. The win moved Tennessee to 9-2 SU but just 6-5 ATS as a host.
Kansas vs. Tennessee Prediction
Look for Tennessee to be installed 1-2 possession favorites with the total lined in the mid-130s for this matchup. When looking at the pace of play of both teams, this game has rock fest written all over it with the first to 60 likely coming out on top. However, I’ve got a sneaky suspicion points dent the board in Thompson-Boling come Saturday night. The Achilles heel of the Vols defense comes with defending the perimeter. It’s allowed a near 31 percent success rate (No. 89) and an average of 6.4 made 3’s per game (No. 95). Kansas might only shoot 44.1 percent from the field as a team (No. 150), but it excels from deep where it converts at a 35.8 percent clip (No. 82) and splashes down nearly 8.0 long range shots per game. If Agbaji and company get hot from “The Land of Three,” Tennessee simply won’t have the offensive firepower to match. With that, this one will ultimately come down to the Jayhawks ability to knock ‘em down from deep. If they do, they’ll have an excellent shot of winning a high scoring game. If not, they’ll be forced to play Tennessee’s style of game that would lead to the home team holding serve in a likely low scorer.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
