The No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers (19-7, 9-5 SEC) welcome the Florida Gators (17-10, 8-6 SEC) to Thompson-Boling Arena as they look to extend their six-game home winning streak. The game starts at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, and will air on ESPN2.
Tennessee opened as a 5-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 138 points.
Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers Free Prediction
The Gators are hoping for a better outcome after their 71-68 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores in their last contest. One of Vanderbilt’s largest strengths was their ability to convert at the free throw line. They were 22-24 (91.7 percent), while the Gators were just 7-11 (63.6 percent). Keith Stone was Florida’s leading scorer with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
The last time the Volunteers played, they lost to the Georgia Bulldogs, 73-62. One of Georgia’s largest strengths was getting to the free throw line. They had 38 free throw attempts, while Tennessee had just 15. With 10 points and 13 rebounds, Kyle Alexander had a solid game for Tennessee.
Tennessee appears to have the edge on the defensive side of the ball. The Volunteers currently rank 43rd in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.475), while Florida is 200th in effective field goal percentage (0.508). Also, the Gators commit the fifth-fewest errors in the NCAA (turnover percentage of 14.5 percent), while the gambling defense of the Volunteers causes the 47th-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 21.5 percent).
Florida heads into the contest with records of 17-10 straight up (SU) and 12-13-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when setting the total of Gators games, with 13 unders compared to 11 overs.
Meanwhile, Tennessee owns records of 19-7 SU and 14-10 ATS. A little over half of Volunteers games have also finished under the O/U total.
After the Gators won the lone game against the Volunteers last season, 83-70, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Gators had a much better free throw rate (0.321 vs. 0.185) and had a much better turnover percentage (14.0 vs. 24.1).
Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers Free Pick
Basketball Tip: SU Winner – Florida, ATS Winner – Florida, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Florida is 7-5 ATS on the road with 7 unders and 5 overs.
At home, Tennessee is 5-6 ATS with 5 overs and 5 unders.
Tennessee ranks 39th in assists per game (16.1) while Florida ranks 185th (12.9).
The Volunteers rank 110th in rebounds per game (36.1) while the Gators rank 231st in rebounds allowed per game (36.7).
Tennessee ranks 27th in blocks per game (4.8) while Florida ranks 91st in blocks allowed per game (3.2).
The Gators rank 11th in steals allowed per game (4.6) while the Volunteers rank 74th (5.7).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Florida is 1-3-1 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
Tennessee is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Gators’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 1.8, down from 6.9 for the season.
During their last five games, the Volunteers have scored an average of 67.4 points per game (7.8 below their season average) and allowed an average of 67.6 points per game (0.2 above their season average).
