There’s the Kentucky we’ve been looking for. From start to finish, the No. 1 Wildcats laid a beating on overmatched South Carolina at the Rupp Arena en route to matching the program’s best start ever. The big win may give Kentucky the spark they need when they take to the road Tuesday night. Will Kentucky go on to reach greater heights? Read on as we break down this SEC matchup.
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[sc:MarchMadness ]Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers Predictions, Picks, Odds & Betting Preview
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena, Tennessee
When: Tuesday, February 17, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Kentucky Wildcats (-14.5) at Tennessee Volunteers (+14.5) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats blew out South Carolina 77-43 on Saturday, prompting praise and celebrations for matching the program’s best start. Kentucky has now gone an undefeated 25-0 this season and is well on its way to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]The Wildcats return to Tennessee on Tuesday night, where they’ve split their last four appearances. Kentucky is also 0-3 ATS in its last three games on the road.
The Wildcats’ offense has failed to pull away from their opposition on the road. Their leading scorer, Aaron Harrison, has mostly struggled in conference road games, shooting just 32 percent from the field and making only 8-of-32 three-point field goal attempts.
Kentucky’s defense has also struggled on the road against SEC competition. They’ve allowed just 51.8 points per game this season (second in the nation), but have given up an average of 65 points over their past two conference road games.
Despite their struggles on the road, Kentucky may be able to outhustle Tennessee through rebounds. The Volunteers rank near the bottom of the nation in rebounds. In contrast, the Wildcats are among the best teams on the boards with 38.6 rebounds per game (22nd in the league). The Wildcats have two dominant big men in Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns has been a monster on the boards with an average of 9.5 rebounds over the past four games. He has two double-doubles over that span. Cauley-Stein has 14 rebounds over his past two games.
The total has gone over in five of Kentucky’s last six games.
Betting on the Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers don’t do a fine job of defending their house. Following Saturday’s 73-55 loss to LSU, the Vols have lost four of their last six home games. They’ve fared worse against the spread at home, going 1-9 in their last 10.
Still, the Vols offer quite a challenge to Kentucky. Tennessee are among the best teams in the nation when it comes to stealing the ball from their opposition. Senior guard Josh Richardson leads the Vols with 2.1 steals per game (24th in the nation), while junior Kevin Punter trails with 1.8. The two should be able to give Kentucky’s guards headaches.
The two Tennessee guards may set their sights on Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison, who’s committed 14 turnovers over six conference road games.
Richardson also lead Tennessee’s offensive charge against Kentucky’s struggling defense away from home. He’s been the Vols’ brightest player with 18.5 points over his last four games, but Tennessee is just 1-3 in those games.
Forward Armani Moore could also challenge Kentucky inside. While he may give up size against Kentucky’s Caulie-Stein and Towns, Moore may be able to cut past the bigger defenders to deliver on drives to the basket. Moore has averaged 14.4 points over his last five games.
Moore may also be able to use his mobility to hound Kentucky’s twin towers on the other side of the ball. He has averaged 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks over the past five games.
The total has gone over in four of Tennessee’s last five games.
Writer’s Prediction
Tennessee (+14.5) forces enough turnovers for a few extra buckets. The Vols lose but do just enough to sneak past with a cover.
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