The No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers (18-3, 7-1 SEC) face the rival Florida Gators (12-9, 5-3) in Gainesville Wednesday. Tip from Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center is at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Tennessee vs. Florida odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Tennessee enters on a 4-game win streak, most recently recording an 82-71 victory as a 5.5-point favorite against current-No. 9 Texas Saturday. That victory displayed the Volunteers’ ability to win by outscoring opponents and not just by using their elite defense to shut teams down.
Florida allows 65.0 points per game (60th) and will be able to hold down the Volunteers, but Tennessee is 1st in the nation with 54.5 points allowed per game and an opponents’ field-goal percentage of 34.5%. Florida’s mediocre offense (71.9 points per game, 174th) will be forced into bad shots all night.