The No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers (8-2) and Memphis Tigers (6-4) tangle in an intrastate battle Saturday at noon ET. The contest is on the neutral floor of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Below, we look at the Tennessee vs. Memphis odds and lines and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Tennessee is coming off scoring 96 points in its last game and allowing just 36 points two games back. The Vols clamp down on shooting percentages, especially inside the arc. Overall, UT has held opponents to just 57.9 points per game, which ranks 15th in the nation.
Memphis is coming off a big win over No. 8 Alabama when the Tigers downed the Crimson Tide 92-78 Tuesday. That triumph at home came on the heels of four straight losses. A toxic mix of turnovers and opponent free throws fed that losing spell. Tiger foes averaged 24.8 free-throw attempts during the skid.
Tennessee vs. Memphis odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:56 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Tennessee -230 (bet $230 to win $100) | Memphis +180 (bet $100 to win $180)
- Against the spread (ATS): Tennessee -4.5 (-120) | Memphis +4.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 144.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Tennessee vs. Memphis odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Tennessee 76, Memphis 70
Money line
Memphis is loose with the basketball and prone to turnovers and Tennessee can cause them in bunches. The Tigers are coming off a game that saw them go 24-of-37 (64.5%) on 2-point attempts but they face a much sterner test in this one and against a Vols five which does a nice job of getting out front and controlling games by 2-3 possessions.
BACK THE VOLUNTEERS (-230).
Against the spread
Tigers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games after scoring more than 90 points in their previous game. The Vols are 4-1 against the spread over their last five games.
Memphis plus the points might’ve been more of a consideration before its Alabama game. The deficiencies the Tigers do have keep them a couple of possessions behind in this one and you can figure on UT needing a cold shooting afternoon not to cover.
TAKE TENNESSEE -4.5 (-120).
Over/Under
There are plenty of crisscross signals underpinning this total while the neutral floor and early start time make for some gray areas as well. PASS.
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