The No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers want to send themselves into the SEC tournament with a win this Saturday against the Auburn Tigers. Getting Tennessee in their regular-season finale is an unenviable assignment for Auburn, but at least the Tigers will play Grant Williams and company at home. Going into this Saturday’s game, NCAA Futures price the Volunteers with +700 odds to win the 2019 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament, while the Tigers fall below over tens times, with +7,500 to do the same.
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Betting Preview for the Tennessee Volunteers vs. Auburn Tigers College Basketball Game on March 9, 2019
Where: Auburn Arena, Auburn
When: Saturday, March 9, 2019, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Tennessee Volunteers (odds) vs. Auburn Tigers (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Tennessee Volunteers (27-3 Overall / 15-2 Conference)
Tennessee made sure to make a statement after a February loss to the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington by trouncing John Calipari’s unit in Knoxville last Saturday to the tune of a 71-52 score. On Tuesday, the Vols took this newfound momentum against the Mississippi State Rebels at home for their last game in Knoxville, winning with authority, 71-54. Admiral Schofield led his team with 18-points, followed by guard Grant Williams with 14-points.
Tennessee now turns their attention to a regular season finale against Auburn. Schofield will score in the high teens again, but look for Williams to stand out in this one. He balled out in the rematch with Kentucky, as the SEC’s leading scorer dropped 24 points to go with seven rebounds and two assists, while going 8-for-11 from the free throw line. Williams is averaging 19-points per game as of this writing. Tennessee is at its best when both Williams and Schofield are having their way on offense, and it happens more often than not. The Vols own the best offense in the SEC, as they average 83.2 points per contest.
Tennessee is 3-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last four games against Auburn.
Betting on the Auburn Tigers (21-9 Overall / 10-7 Conference)
Auburn has looked good of late. The Tigers can be inconsistent, but they are still 5-1 straight up (SU) in their last six games, with the lone loss coming at the hands of the then No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats on the road. And that’s the problem for Auburn. Bruce Pearl’s boys are 0-5 SU this season against ranked opponents.
The Tigers’ last chance to edge a top 25 team this regular season will come at home this week against the dangerous Vols, a date that comes after Auburn’s meeting with in-state rival Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday. They won that one 66-60, led by forward Chuma Okeke’s 17-points and guard Jared Harper’s 16-points. The Tigers also ended last week on a high-note against a more impressive opponent, beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs at home on Saturday, 80-75. In that game, Auburn shot 47.1 percent from the field and flashed some serious shooting form from deep, knocking down 13 3-pointers on 30 attempts. Bryce Brown, who leads the team with 15.7 points, fired 24 points with five triples. Brown and Jared Harper had 18 points apiece in last season’s 94-84 win in Knoxville, while Chuma Okeke had 11 off the bench. With that success carrying over into this week, thus far, they have some momentum going into the meeting with Tennessee.
Auburn is 9-6 ATS in home games this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Tennessee wins in a surprisingly close one, 78-76.
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