Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Tennessee Volunteers

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Tennessee Volunteers (-11)
Game Total Line: (150.5)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies, out of the Summit Conference face their third straight top 25 team when they tangle with the No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers from the SEC. Tip-off for Tuesday night’s game at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville is set for 7 p.m. (ET) and will broadcast nationally on ESPNU.

Oakland is wrapping up a brutal early season stretch of games against ranked opponents after falling to No. 16 Illinois 74-63 last Wednesday night as a 14-point road underdog and losing by one-point to No.7 Michigan State 77-76 this past Saturday as a 10-point road underdog. Senior guard Larry Wright led the Golden Grizzlies with a team-high 21 points and senior center Keith Benson added 17 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to pull off the upset over the Spartans.

This latest loss dropped Oakland to 5-5 straight-up on the season but raised its record against the spread to 8-2. Benson is the team’s leading scorer through the first 10 games; averaging 18.1 points. He also leads the team in rebounds with 11.7 per game. Junior guard Reggie Hamilton is the second leading scorer with 15.5 points per game and leads in assists with a 4.2 average. The Golden Grizzlies, as a team, are shooting 46.1 percent from the floor and averaging 80 points per game.

Tennessee should move up in the rankings this week after a stunning 83-76 win over then-No.3 Pittsburgh as an eight-point road underdog this past Saturday. Junior guard Scotty Hopson was near-perfect for the Volunteers, missing just three shots en route to a career-high 27 points, while senior guard Melvin Goins added 19 points to the winning effort.

This was the second time this season they knocked off a top 10 team after beating then-No.7 Villanova 78-68 on Nov. 26 as a six-point underdog.

The win boosted the Vols to 7-0 SU for the season and 5-2 ATS. Through seven games, Hopson is the team’s leading scorer with 17.9 points per game. Freshman forward Toby Harris is averaging 15.3 points and six rebounds per game, while senior center Brian Williams leads the team in rebounds with a 7.6 per game average. Tennessee is shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and averaging 79 points per game.

Oakland is 1-4 SU on the road this season but is 4-1 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of its last eight games overall.

Tennessee is 4-0 SU in its first four home games, but just 2-2 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of its last six games overall.

ATS Game Pick

There is no recent history between these two teams as this will be the first time they have faced one another in well over 10 years. The Golden Grizzlies have done a good job at keeping their last two games as a double-digit underdog close enough to cover and this game should be no exception. The Volunteers may be a little drained after Saturday’s big win and it could show in this game. Look for them to get the outright win, but stick with Oakland against the spread getting double digits.
Take Oakland +11 at 5Dimes.