Tennessee Volunteers at Kentucky Wildcats

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Kentucky Wildcats( -8.5)
Game Total Line: (137.5)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

Tuesday night features an SEC matchup of two teams that are looking to right the ship with a win when the Tennessee Volunteers tangle with the Kentucky Wildcats. Tip-off from Rupp Arena in Lexington is set for 9 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Tennessee is still stinging from a 65-60 overtime loss to Alabama as a five-point home favorite this past Saturday. This loss snapped a three game winning streak and dropped the Volunteers to 15-8 straight-up (11-11 against the spread) on the year. It also left them a game and half behind Florida in the SEC-East with a record of 5-3 SU.

The big question mark for Tennessee heading into this game will be the availability of junior guard Scotty Hopson, who is listed as questionable after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. Hopson is the team’s leading scorer with an average of 16.5 points a game. If he cannot go, look for freshman forward Toby Harris, who is the team’s second leading scorer 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds, and junior guard Cameron Tatum, who is averaging 10.5 points, to pick up the slack.

The Volunteers are shooting 43.5 percent from the field and averaging 72 points a game. They have struggled from the foul-line this season; converting on just 68.5 percent of their attempts. Tennessee remains a very solid team under the boards with an average of 40 rebounds a game.

Kentucky will surely fall a few spots in this week’s polls after losing to Mississippi 71-69 last Tuesday as a 6 ½-point road favorite and falling to No.23 Florida 70-68 as a one-point road favorite on Saturday. The back-to-back losses dropped the Wildcats to 16-6 SU and 8-9 against the spread. They are currently in fourth-place in the SEC-East at 4-4 SU.

Kentucky is led by the freshman duo of Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight. Jones is averaging 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds a game, while Knight is right behind him with 17.5 points and a team-high 3.8 assists per game. A third freshman Doron Lamb rounds out the youth movement with 13.8 points a game.

The Wildcats are averaging 77 points and 39 rebounds a game. They are shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three-point range. They remain slightly better than the Vols from the free-throw line; hitting 70.3 percent of their attempts.

Tennessee is 3-2 ATS in its last five games on the road and is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in its last seven games.

Kentucky is 2-2 ATS in its last four games at home and 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of its last seven games.

Head-to-head, the Wildcats have won seven of the last 10 games SU and are 8-2 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of the last seven meetings. The last time these two teams met, Kentucky rolled to a 74-45 victory as a 4 ½-point favorite in last year’s SEC Tournament.

Against the Spread Game Pick

This time around the best bet could be the ‘under’ depending on how low the total opens at. If Hopson is out of the lineup for Tennessee, the Wildcats should open as a high single-digit favorite and would remain a solid play as long as the spread does not reach double-digits.
Take the UNDER 137.5 at 5Dimes and get reduced juice on game day!