Look for a neck and neck battle featuring two prestigious programs that have been struggling as of late. 15th-ranked Kansas (11-5 SU, 6-9 ATS) travels on the road to face Tennessee (11-3 SU, 8-6 ATS) Saturday night. The Jayhawks look to continue their dominance vs Tennessee, attempting to win their fourth in a row against the Volunteers.
- Date/Time: January 30, 6:00 p.m. ET
- Arena: Thompson-Boling Arena
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Tennessee -2.5 | O/U 130 (Line History)
- Jayhawks vs Volunteers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Kansas comes into this contest struggling straight up as well as against the spread in the month of January. The Jayhawks have covered just one in their last five and have lost straight up in three of their last four. After Sportsbook as 2.5 point favorites, the Volunteers still are locked at that number also struggling to cover as of late just cashing two of their last seven. The total opened at 130 and has raised slightly by half a point since the line came out.
Kansas News & Notes
Kansas is in unfamiliar territory by its standards. Kansas is fifth in the Big12 standings for the first time since the 1988 season. Still, somehow ranked 15th in the country, their rankings have dropped week by week since the start of the new year. Other than slipping by TCU on Thursday night, the Jayhawks lost back-to-back games as favorites vs Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Bill Self is relying heavily on upperclassmen junior guard Ochai Agbaji, who enters this contest averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game. Agbaji has also been lights out from behind the arc this season averaging over 41 percent. This has been the one bright spot for this Kansas team ranking 44th in the country in three-point percentage on the road.
Tennessee News & Notes
Through 14 games, Tennessee has struggled straight up and against the spread as of late. The Vols have taken a massive step back after starting the season 10-1 SU. When they faced Florida on January 19th, they lost by 26, which was a huge blunder for this program. They followed that letdown game by losing to Missouri by nine despite being a double-digit favorite. The Volunteers' offensive struggles have been noticeable recently, averaging just over 56 points per game in their last three contests.
Rick Barnes' squad has great balance across his roster, featuring seven players that average within 3.1 points of the team leader John Fulkerson. This rotation is very impressive as all seven players find a way to earn more than 20 minutes per contest. The Vols enter this game with an outstanding resume on the defensive end of the court and rank seventh in the country in scoring defense at 59.7 points per game.
Betting Pick: OVER 130.5
Look past both of these teams’ offensive struggles in this matchup. Tennessee specifically is due for a breakout performance after averaging just over 56 points per game in its recent three-game stretch. Let’s not forget both teams carry tenure and have seen this matchup average 153 points in the last three matchups.
- Kansas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
- The OVER is 4-1 in the last 5 games in this matchup.
- Kansas is 12-3 ATS in its last 15 road games.
