The No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers (4-1) host the Presbyterian Blue Hose (5-2) Tuesday at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Tennessee vs. Presbyterian odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Tennessee is coming into this matchup following a pair of strong victories over Tennessee Tech (80-69) and North Carolina (89-72).
The Volunteers have suffered just one defeat in the early season, a 71-53 thrashing at the hand of the now-No.6 Villanova Wildcats. The Vols are led by Santiago Vescovi, a 6-foot-3 junior guard averaging 16 points per game.
He’ll be battling star G Rayshon Harrison, who is averaging 21.3 points per game for the Blue Hose. Presbyterian’s only notable game of the season was a 34-point loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats.
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Presbyterian at Tennessee odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:25 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Presbyterian +1300 (bet $100 to win $1,300) | Tennessee -5000 (bet $5,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Presbyterian +23.5 (-108) | Tennessee -23.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 129.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
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Presbyterian at Tennessee odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Tennessee 76, Presbyterian 52
Money line
PASS on the money line. Presbyterian hasn’t played good competition even remotely well, and a -5000 money line for Tennessee isn’t worth much look either.
Against the spread
BET on TENNESSEE -23.5 (-112) as the better bet, and much of this goes into the incompetence of Presbyterian.
Despite that Harrison is topping 20 points per game, he’s shooting just 37% from the field. The Vols are forcing opponents this season to shoot under 41% and that’s going to spell trouble for Harrison.
The Blue Hose were absolutely destroyed by the Bearcats, and now facing a top-15 team on the road, I expect this game to be a blowout.
Over/Under
“LEAN” to the UNDER 129.5 (-107) as the better side of the total.
The Vols are averaging over 81 points per game, but I expect this game to slow down later in the second half if it’s a blowout, which is what the sportsbooks are also anticipating.
The Vols hover around 35% from deep which also isn’t an elite rate and Vescovi is shooting just 40% from the field as well. Considering their potential inefficiencies, and the way this game should be played, I’d prefer the Under.
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