Tennessee Volunteers (16-7) vs Florida Gators (13-7)
Game Info: Sunday, March 7, 2021 at 12:00 pm (Thompson-Boling Arena)
Betting Odds: Tennessee Volunteers -4.5 -- Over/Under: 137.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Florida Gators will travel to Thompson-Boling Arena to take on the Tennessee Volunteers this Sunday afternoon in College Basketball action.
The Florida Gators had their 3-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 13-7 on the season after being defeated by the Missouri Tigers, 72-70, this past Wednesday night. Florida fought back from a 70-62 deficit with just 2:27 left in regulation to tie the game up late, however, the Tigers were able to pull out the victory after a Dru Smith hit a game-winning reverse lay-up with just 0.7 seconds left in regulation. Florida shot 58.1% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc while Missouri shot 45.9% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the arc. Florida outrebounded Missouri by a 28-26 margin, however, lost the turnover battle by a 18-13 margin. Leading the way for the Gators was Tre Mann who had 21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 block.
On the season, Florida is averaging 75.6 ppg on 47.2% shooting from the field. The Gators are averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game on 35.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Florida has been led by Tre Mann (15.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.5 spg), Colin Castleton (12.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 2.3 bpg), Tyree Appleby (10.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.7 spg), & Noah Locke (10.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg).
Defensively, Florida is allowing their opponents to average 70.0 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Gators have a rebound margin of 1.4 and a turnover margin of 0.3.
The Tennessee Volunteers dropped to 16-7 on the season after being defeated by the Auburn Tigers, 77-72, on February 27th. Tennessee trailed by a 34-30 margin at halftime and could not fight back after the Tigers took a 66-58 lead with 4:24 left in regulation. Tennessee shot 41.3% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc while Auburn shot 40.0% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the arc. Tennessee was outrebounded by Auburn by a 41-34 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 13-12 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Volunteers was Jaden Springer who had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, & 2 steals.
On the season, Tennessee is averaging 75.6 ppg on 47.2% shooting from the field. The Volunteers are averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game on 35.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Tennessee has been led by Jaden Springer (12.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.1 spg), Victor Bailey Jr. (11.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.7 apg), Keon Johnson (10.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.0 spg), & John Fulkerson (9.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 apg).
Defensively, Tennessee is allowing their opponents to average 70.0 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Volunteers have a rebound margin of 1.4 and a turnover margin of 0.3.
The Gators are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games, however, are just 2-6 ATS in their last 8 Sunday games. The Volunteers are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss, however, are just 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
Tennessee has struggled as of late, losing 3 of their last 5 games, and put-up little fight in their embarrassing 75-49 loss at Florida this season, however, this is still a decent basketball team that has a 12-3 home record with wins against Arkansas, Colorado, & Kansas. Florida has split their last 6 games and although their offense still has been able to put up points without Keyontae Johnson, the Gators defense has struggled a bit as they currently rank just 169th in scoring offense. The public is going to be on Florida with the points here, however, after their recent struggles, I think Tennessee plays with a bit more urgency in this one and as Florida is basically just a .500 team on the road, I think the play here it to take the Volunteers to cover this small spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Tennessee Volunteers -4.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05