Tennessee Volunteers vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/03/2024

Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Saturday, February 3, 2024

Venue:  Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Tennessee -1.5, Kentucky +1.5; Over/Under:  160 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Tennessee -1.5, Kentucky +1.5; Over/Under:  160 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Tennessee -1.5, Kentucky +1.5; Over/Under:  160 points

Tennessee Volunteers:  15-5 (5-2) (4th place, SEC)

Kentucky Wildcats:  15-5 (5-3) (6th place, SEC)

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Tennessee Volunteers:  4-1  last 5

Kentucky Wildcats:  3-2  last 5

Tennessee is entering this game with a 15-5 record overall, a 5-2 record in conference games, and they are 3-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the South Carolina Gamecocks in their last game. Dalton Knecht led the team in points per game in that game with 31 while Santiago Vescovi was next on the team with 10. Zakai Zeigler and Josiah-Jordan James each led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Tobe Awaka led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 36.2% from the field, 23.8% from 3-point range, and 60% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 78.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 65.9 PPG against them. Tennessee has an ATS record of 8-11-1 this season and their O/U record is 11-9.

Kentucky is entering this game with a 15-5 record overall, a 5-3 conference record, and they are 10-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Florida Gators in their last game. Reed Sheppard led the team in points in that game with 24 while Rob Dillingham was next on the team with 20. Reed Sheppard led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Ugonna Onyenso led the team in rebounds with 16. They were 44.9% from the field, 38.5% from 3-point range, and 64.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 88.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 77.2 PPG against them. Kentucky has an ATS record of 12-8 this season and their O/U record is 15-5.

The current betting odds have Kentucky listed as a 1.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Kentucky has looked good in their games this season with their 15-5 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country. They have struggled a bit in the SEC this season with their 5-3 conference record, but they are still in the top half of the conference with a winning record. They have also looked a lot better on their home court this season with their 10-2 home record. Meanwhile, Tennessee has looked good in their games this season with their 15-5 record overall which also has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and ranked inside the top 5 too. They are doing better in the SEC with their 5-2 conference record which has them near the top of the conference right now, but they have also struggled more in their road games with their 3-2 road record. Both of these teams are some of the best teams in the country with each being ranked inside the top 10 and both teams will be looking to bounce back after losing their last games. Tennessee is the better team on the defensive end but Kentucky is a lot better on the offensive end and their shooting advantage along with the home crowd will be enough to edge them past Tennessee here. The best way to place a bet here is on Kentucky to cover the spread in this game. 

Tennessee Kentucky Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, February 3, 2024 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Kentucky 69 Tennessee 66.

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Tennessee Volunteers: 2-7 ATS at road when the line is +3 to -3. 4-7 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 6-3 OVER at road when the line is +3 to -3. 12-7 OVER after 2 or more consecutive unders. 12-4 OVER off an embarrassing home loss scoring less than 60 points.

Kentucky Wildcats: 8-3 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite. 29-18 ATS after a close loss by 3 points or less. 9-5 ATS after 5 straight games committing 14 or less turnovers. 15-5 OVER in all games. 10-2 OVER in all home games. 29-18 OVER against conference opponents.

Tennessee Volunteers:  None.

Kentucky Wildcats:  J. Edwards (G) Ques Sat - Knee. D. Wagner (G) Ques Sat - Ankle.

“(South Carolina) scored 63. Our goal is to keep our opponent under 69. We were not a very good offensive team. You can't miss 10 point-blank layups and shoot like we did from the free-throw line and win.” - Rick Barnes after his team’s loss against South Carolina in their last game on Tuesday.

“Just a couple of breakdowns. If I had made the layups that I missed, I think it would have given us a chance to win. It was a tough loss.” - Ugonna Onyenso after their loss against Florida in their last game on Wednesday.

J. Aidoo 

J. James 

D. Knecht 

S. Vescovi 

Z. Zeigler

A. Bradshaw 

J. Edwards 

T. Mitchell 

A. Reeves 

D. Wagner

PPG: D. Knecht (20.1)

APG: Z. Zeigler (5)

Reb/G: J. Aidoo (7.4)

PPG: A. Reeves (19.5)

APG: R. Sheppard (4.2)

Reb/G: T. Mitchell (7.8)

Coaches:

Tennessee Volunteers: Rick Barnes (9th season)

Kentucky Wildcats: John Calipari (15th season)