LSU vs Tennessee Odds: Vols Big Favorites at Home
Tennessee Looks to Keep Pace With Alabama
The Arkansas on Saturday. The LSU vs Tennessee odds have the Volunteers favored by 13.5 points. The total in the game is 152 points.
Tigers vs Volunteers 
Location: Thompson Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Day/Time:
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
LSU Hits Rough Stretch of Schedule
The Tigers are going to get a major test over the next five games. LSU plays four ranked teams in the span and also visits against the spread and 11-10 in totals.
The LSU offense is a little better than average. The Tigers score 77.5 points per game and 78.7 points in SEC play. LSU’s 3-point shooting has picked up slightly since the start of SEC play. The Tigers are hitting 37.5% of their 3-pointers in SEC games, which is No. 2 in the conference. LSU makes too many turnovers and doesn’t hit the offensive boards well. The Tigers do like to play at a slightly up-tempo pace.
Defensively, the Tigers aren’t bad. But they do have a bad habit of sending the opposition to the foul line. In conference games, the opposition is scoring 25.4% of its points from the foul line. That’s the most in the SEC. LSU defends the 3-pointer pretty well, but teams can score inside. The Tigers don’t force a lot of turnovers but can hold their own on the boards.
Volunteers a Well-Rounded Team
Tennessee can play offense and defense and you’d be hard-pressed to find a real weakness on the team. That’s why it’s ranked No. 6 in the country. The team isn’t doing quite as well in the college basketball.
Offensively, the Volunteers are No. 3 in the SEC in the KenPom offensive efficiency rankings. Tennessee hits 55.2% of its 2-point field goal attempts and 34.3% on 3-pointers. The Volunteers don’t make a lot of turnovers and do a pretty good job on the offensive boards. Tennessee shoots 71.1% from the foul line, which is pretty average. But it’s No. 10 in the SEC.
The Vols are also ranked No. 3 in the KenPom defensive efficiency rankings. Tennessee holds teams to 43.5% shooting on 2-pointers and 33.9% on 3-pointers. The Volunteers are pretty average in forcing turnovers and preventing offensive rebounds. Teams do shoot a fair number of 3-pointers against Tennessee. In conference games, 34% of the opposition’s points come on the 3-pointer.
What to Expect
LSU coach Matt McMahon is no dummy. He can look at the last two games Tennessee played and see South Carolina slowed it down and won 63-59. Kentucky tried to run up-and-down the court and lost 103-92. The Tigers could look to be a little more deliberate here. They don’t really have the players to keep up with Tennessee in a fast-paced game.
Tennessee will look to keep the game moving at a decent pace. The Volunteers have better players, so a faster-paced game should favor them.
Who to Bet On?
The LSU vs Tennessee odds of Volunteers -13.5 sounds about right. The Vols are the superior team and have a decent home court advantage. But Tennessee has labored against the point spread a bit this season. Although betting on LSU as an underdog takes a little bit of courage. The NCAA basketball predictions have Tennessee winning by 15, so there’s no real edge there. Tennessee’s strength of schedule helps the Vols’ predicted margin.
The LSU vs Tennessee odds on the total might be a shade high. Both teams are going to have to make some baskets to get over the number. If the game isn’t played at a steady pace, it will be that much harder to score enough to push the total past 152. The best value play in this game is the under 152.
For Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
