Tennessee Volunteers vs Kentucky Wildcats Betting Pick & Prediction 2/3/24

Planning on watching today’s Volunteers and Wildcats game? Catch the action at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY, as the Wildcats hosts this showdown at 8:30 ET on ESPN. Tennessee is favored by -1.5 in this Southeastern conference matchup the against Kentucky. The over/under for the game is set at 159.5 points.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS VS KENTUCKY WILDCATS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kentucky Wildcats +1.5

This game will be played at Rupp Arena at 8:30 ET on Saturday, February 3rd.

WHY BET THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-69 in favor of the Wildcats.
• Not only will Kentucky pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +1.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 159.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 144 points.

Do the Volunteers Have a Shot at a Road Win?

Heading into this road game against Kentucky, Tennessee has a 15-5 overall record, including a 5-2 mark in Southeastern Conference play. The Volunteers are favored by 1.5 points, and they have been favored in 17 of their 20 games this season.

So far, Tennessee has gone 4-4 on the road, and they have an average scoring margin of +2.5 points per game away from home. They have won two straight games on the road, and they are coming off a 63-59 loss to South Carolina.

As the favorite this season, Tennessee has gone just 8-8-1 against the spread. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Volunteers have a record of 4-6 vs. the spread. On the road, Tennessee is only 2-6 ATS this year and their last 3 road games vs. the spread have all been losses.

Over their last three games, the over/under record for Tennessee is 1-2. For the season, the over/under record for the Volunteers is 11-9. In their games this year, the average scoring total is 144.4 points. So far this year, the average over/under line in their games is 142.2 points. This season, their games have finished with more points than today’s over/under line of 159.5 points in four games.

In their most recent game, the Tennessee offense put up just 59 points vs. the South Carolina Gamecocks. Overall, they are now averaging 78.5 points per game which is 80th in the country. Dalton Knecht was the leading scorer for the Volunteers, putting up 31 points. In addition, Santiago Vescovi contributed 10 points.

At present, the Volunteers’ defense is nationally ranked 44th, allowing 65.9 points per game. Tennessee will look once again to perform well on defense, holding South Carolina to just 36% shooting in their most recent game.

Can Kentucky Grab a Win at Home?

After winning their last game against Arkansas by a score of 63-57, Kentucky comes into this game with a record of 15-5. The Wildcats are 5-2 in Southeastern Conference play and 10-3 in non-conference games.

At home this season, Kentucky has gone 11-2, and they have won five straight games at home. For the year, they have an average scoring margin of +16.4 points per game at home.

As the underdog, Kentucky has been solid vs. the spread this season, going 3-1. They are also 7-3 vs. the spread in their last 10 games as the underdog.

On the season, the over/under record for Kentucky games is 14-5, and the average scoring total in their games is 164.8 points. Today’s over/under line of 159.5 is lower than the average OU line in their games this year (155.3), and 13 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s OU line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 148 points, and their OU record over their last 10 games is 8-2.

Most recently, the Kentucky offense finished with just 63 points vs. Arkansas. For the game, they hit 9/20 three-point attempts and a field goal percentage of 36.5%. Antonio Reeves led the team in scoring, putting up 24 points. Additionally, Reed Sheppard contributed 14 points for the Wildcats.

Coming into today’s game, the Kentucky defense is giving up an average of 77.2 points per contest. On average, opposing teams are hitting 8.6 threes per game vs. Tennessee. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 31.8%.