Tennessee basketball opened as massive 21.5-point favorites over instate rival Vanderbilt according to FanDuel Sportsbook on Friday afternoon. The over/under is set at 140.5.
The Vols are hosting their instate rival just three weeks after knocking them off 75-62 in Nashville. Analytical based college basketball website KenPom projects Tennessee to earn an 82-60 win over Vanderbilt.
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Vanderbilt gave Tennessee a bit of a scare three weeks ago in Nashville when they led by double-digits late in the first have and by five points at halftime. Tennessee came out and took control of the game early in the second half before cruising to a lopsided victory.
“I think getting your guys to lock back in, to get them to understand that there are some changes. I mean, Vanderbilt is playing better,” Tennessee assistant coach Gregg Polinsky said of the challenge in playing the same team twice in a short time frame. “They’re going to tweak what they do, they’re not going to show you the same thing. They’re able to make some changes that are difficult to deal with. From being here, they’re always going to play us very tough. They’re very capable.”
More From RTI: Everything To Know About Tennessee Basketball’s Matchup Against Vanderbilt
Tennessee enters the rivalry matchup 18-6 (8-3 SEC) and a game back of Alabama in the SEC Championship race. The Vols bounced back from last Saturday’s double-digit loss at Texas A&M by dominating Arkansas 92-63 in Fayetteville on Wednesday night.
Rick Barnes’ ninth Tennessee team is looking to pick up wins against Vanderbilt, at Missouri and Texas A&M in its next three games before its grueling final two-week stretch of the regular season.
Vanderbilt is in the midst of a disappointing season and enters Saturday’s matchup 7-17 (2-9 SEC) but despite its struggles the Commodores are playing better as of late. Both of Vanderbilt’s SEC wins are in its last five games including a buzzer-beater victory over Texas A&M earlier this week.
Tipoff between Tennessee and Vanderbilt is at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday night. Roy Philpott and Pat Bradley are on the call for the SEC Network.
