SEC play for Tennessee basketball begins with a tough test, not one you want to have after a long layoff. Rick Barnes and the Vols have to visit Kermit Davis and the Ole Miss Rebels.
According to FanDuel, the Vols are a 7.5-point favorite, and the over/under is set at 131.5. The moneyline is set at Tennessee -360 and Ole Miss +280.
UT has won six of its last seven against Ole Miss dating back to 2017 and is 3-1 since Kermit Davis took over in 2018. This explains why Ron Slay took the Vols to cover Wednesday morning.
However, in two trips to Oxford, the Vols won one game 73-71 and lost the other 52-50. Davis employs a matchup 1-3-1 zone that is hard to prepare for. That combined with this game being at Ole Miss is why you should take the Rebels +7.5.
It’s still likely Tennessee basketball wins, but history is not on their side when it comes to matchups like this. As a result, the Vols are going to have trouble putting this away.
Because the trouble will be based on Ole Miss’ defensive schemes, the Under 131.5 is an even better play. It’s not just Ole Miss’ defense that makes that a good bet.
We have all seen how elite the Vols are on defense this year. They have one of the best defensive teams in the nation, so they’ll give Ole Miss a lot of trouble.
Meanwhile, both teams are going to look a bit sloppy after a long period of time off, so it’ll take a bit to get going. Add all that together, and you likely have a slugfest.
If you are feeling real risky, you can take the Under at 122.5 with +245 odds on FanDuel. That’s not crazy to think about given the flow of the game.
At the very least, though, the standard under is the best payout. Tennessee basketball gets the added benefit of no students in the stands, but the Vols will still struggle offensively.
Note: All lines are from FanDuel and subject to change
