The No. 4 Arizona Wildcats (11-0) and No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers (8-2) will tangle in a Wednesday contest at 7 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. Below, we look at the Arizona vs. Tennessee 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.
The nation’s top offense has propelled Arizona to 11 consecutive victories to start the season. Averaging 91.0 points per game, the Wildcats have blitzed through a slate that has thus far included two true road contests (Dec. 5 at Oregon State, Dec. 11 at Illinois). Arizona is quite good on the boards, but it’s the team’s 2-point field-goal shooting and defense that has it heading into a challenging flip-of-the-calendar stretch with an unblemished record.
The Volunteers have won two games since their most recent loss, a Dec. 7 setback to Texas Tech in overtime. But Tennessee hasn’t played since Dec. 14. The loss to the Red Raiders was at Madison Square Garden. The Vols are 6-0 at home.
Arizona 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 3 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Arizona +102 (bet $100 to win $102) | Tennessee -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Arizona +1.5 (-112) | Tennessee -1.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 152.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
Arizona at Tennessee odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Tennessee 79, Arizona 74
Money line
Arizona has outshot foes by a near-20% margin inside the arc, but Tennessee presents decent depth in its front court — enough so to at least cut into that Wildcat leverage.
The Vols are a high-frequency team from 3-point-land, and they’ve been dialed in over recent home games (43.7% last three games at Thompson-Boling Arena).
UT is the lean, but this price is on the edge. PASS, and look to bet Tennessee on anything under -125.
Against the spread
The Volunteers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall.
Tennessee may be a better-defense, faster-tempo version of Illinois, a team that was up on Arizona through large swaths of an eventual 4-point loss to the Wildcats Dec. 11.
BACK THE VOLUNTEERS -1.5 (-108).
Over/Under
No room to operate on what looks like a solid total: STEER CLEAR.
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / USC / Wisconsin / College Football News
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]