Missouri Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview
Saturday features an SEC matchup of Top 25 teams as the No. 19 Missouri Tigers (9-2) take on the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers (10-2). The Volunteers will host this one from the Thompson-Boling Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
This is the second time these two have matched up this season after Tennessee beat Missouri 73-53 at the end of December. In that game, Santiago Vescovi led four Vols in double digits with 15 points in the win, while Xavier Pinson (11 points) was the only one for the Tigers in the loss.
Missouri comes into the rematch 3-2 in SEC play, just a half-game behind the Volunteers. They will look to leapfrog them in the standings with a win Saturday. Missouri comes in on a two-game winning streak.
Tennessee is trying to bounce back after getting embarrassed by the unranked Florida Gators on Tuesday, 75-49. Before that loss, they had won 10 of their first 11 contests. With Alabama (7-0) and LSU (5-2) playing well in conference play, the Vols don’t want to fall back too much further.
Tennessee comes in as the overwhelming favorite playing at home. They are -340 to win while Missouri’s moneyline sits at +275. The spread features the Tigers +7.5 while the over/under for total points is 131.5.
By The Numbers
Offensively, the Volunteers are the higher-ranked team. In terms of scoring, they average 74.8 points this season (although they are averaging 66 over the last three). Missouri ranks 140th, averaging 72.4 points per game.
Defensively, Tennessee has been one of the best teams in the nation. They currently rank 4th in scoring defense allowing just 58.7 points per game to opponents. Missouri comes in 74th, allowing 66.6 points per game.
Missouri Looks For Revenge
After being embarrassed on their home court in the first matchup between the two teams, Missouri would love nothing more than to repay the Volunteers’ favor on their floor.
To do so, they will have to take care of the ball against a suffocating Volunteers’ defense. Xavier Pinson only scored 11 points with no rebounds and no assists, a stat line that just won’t get it done against Tennessee. On the season, Pinson is averaging 12.9 points, 3.3. rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
As a whole, the Tigers’ offense is pretty balanced, though. In fact, they have four players averaging double digits. Aside from Pinson, Dru Smith (12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, three assists, 1.9 steals), Jeremiah Tilmon (12 points, eight rebounds), and Mark Smith (11.6 points) have all been solid and need to step up their games Saturday.
Tennessee Looks To Bounce Back From Brutal Loss
Frankly, nothing went well for the Volunteers in their loss against Florida. Five-star freshman Jaden Springer had to sit out with an ankle injury, and Victor Bailey Jr. scored just 4 points. Other than John Fulkerson and his 15 points, no Volunteer played particularly well.
On the season, Fulkerson is leading the team in points (12.2) and rebounds (6.6). The only other double-digit scorers are Bailey Jr. (11.6 points) and Springer (10 points, three rebounds).
Other contributors include Vescovi (9.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists), Keon Johnson (9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds), and Josiah-Jordan James (8.1 points, 5.6 rebounds).
Taking Missouri and the Points
If their loss against Florida was the only game you watched of the Vols this season, you would be shocked they were ranked sixth overall. Unfortunately for the Vols, Springer is still questionable for this one with his ankle injury. If he has to sit out, that is a big loss for the Volunteers on both sides of the floor.
If Springer plays, I might be willing to take the Volunteers despite laying the 7.5 points. But without him, I feel much more comfortable taking Missouri and the points.
