No. 15 Kansas Jayhawks haters are surely enjoying their schadenfreude, with Bill Self’s team having an unusually down season, relatively speaking. The Jayhawks can silence the critics a bit if they can take down the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville this coming weekend, though that would be a whole lot easier said than done.
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Betting Preview for the Kansas Jayhawks vs Tennessee Volunteers NCAA College Basketball Game on January 30 2021
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena
When: Saturday, January 30, 2021, 6:00 PM ET
Line: Kansas Jayhawks (odds) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (odds) – view all 2021 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks (odds)
Record: 10-5 Overall / 4-4 Conference
Kansas has to deal with the TCU Horned Frogs at home this Thursday before the Jayhawks can focus on the Tennessee Volunteers. As of this writing, the Jayhawks’ most recent game was against the Oklahoma Sooners, who dealt them with a 75-68 loss in Norman on Jan. 23. Prior to that, the Jayhawks lost to the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Jan. 12 (75-70) and to the Baylor Bears (77-69), both away from Lawrence. Kansas got massively outrebounded by Oklahoma, 36-36. That problem on the glass obviously will have to be addressed by the Jayhawks. Kansas is 58th in the nation with 38.4 rebounds per game. Kansas isn’t scoring as well as it used to in past seasons, as the Jayhawks are averaging 74.4 points per game on 44.1 percent shooting from the field, though they have shot better than that number in each of their last three games.
The over is 3-0-1 in Kansas’ last four games on the road.
Betting on the Tennessee Volunteers (odds)
Record: 10-3 Overall / 4-3 Conference
Tennessee will head into the matchup with Kansas on the heels of a 56-53 home win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs at home as a -510 moneyline favorite. Tennessee pulled off the win despite shooting as though the Vols were allergic to making baskets. The Volunteers shot just 37.0 percent on the field and hit only 3 of 19 shots from long distance. But anyone expecting Tennessee to win on the strength of a high-flying offense certainly hasn’t watched the Vols play before. The Volunteers succeed with their defense that is allowing just 59.3 points per game — fourth in the nation. Tennessee opponents are also shooting just 39.4 percent from the field. Tennessee is also second nationally with an adjusted defensive efficiency of 87.2. The Volunteers don’t let slashers and post operators score easily around the rim, as they are ninth in the nation with a 9.6 block percentage.
Tennessee is 5-5 against the spread in its last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Tennessee wins, 67-64.
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