Illinois Fighting Illini vs Tennessee Volunteers Betting Pick & Prediction 12/9/23

Betting on today’s Fighting Illini and Volunteers game? Catch the action at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN, as the Volunteers hosts this showdown at 12:00 ET on CBS. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 145 points, and the Volunteers are favored to win at home vs. the Fighting Illini.

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI VS TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Illinois Fighting Illini +6.5

This game will be played at Thompson-Boling Arena at 12:00 ET on Saturday, December 9th.

WHY BET THE ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 73-71 in favor of the Volunteers.
• Even though we have Tennessee winning straight-up, we like Illinois at +6.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 145 points, and we like the under with a projected 144 points.

Can Illinois Grab a Win on the Road?

Illinois comes into their ninth game of the season with a 7-1 record. In their last three road games, including one from last year, Illinois has gone 1-2. Illinois has a sub-.500 ATS performance at 3-4. However, in their last five games, the team has been solid against the spread with a 4-1 record.

Up to this point, games involving Illinois have had an average of 136.1 points per game, with the average over/under line set at 144.7 points. Their over/under record is 2-5-0. When analyzing the Fighting Illini’s last five games, they have produced a combined average of 150 points per game and an over/under record of 3-2.

The Illinois offense is coming off a game where they scored 76 points against Rutgers. They posted a field goal percentage of 45.5% and connected on 9 threes. Terrence Shannon Jr. led the team in scoring, putting up 23 points. Additionally, Marcus Domask contributed 15 points for the Fighting Illini.

Currently, the Fighting Illini’s defense holds the 24th rank in the nation, allowing 62.4 points per game. Illinois will look once again to perform well on defense, holding Rutgers to just 33% shooting in their most recent game.

Can Tennessee Grab a Win at Home?

Tennessee, who are 5-3 so far this season, will be playing their 9th game. All of the Volunteers’ games this season have been on the road. As of now, Tennessee has a losing record against the spread at 3-4. In their last five games, they are 2-3 vs. the spread.

After eight games, Tennessee has an over/under record of 4-3-0, with their games averaging a combined 143.3 points per game so far. Over the course of the last five games, the Volunteers’ games have averaged 147 points per game, along with an over/under record of 3-2.

Tennessee is fresh off a strong offensive showing, putting up 92 points versus North Carolina. This output is higher than their season-average of 77.6 points per game. On the offensive front, the Volunteers have a season-long field goal percentage of 43%, ranking 282nd nationally. When it comes to three-point shooting, they are ranked 210th in terms of percentage and 94th in three-pointers made.

So far this season, the Tennessee defense has been performing well, ranking 75th in the country at 66.9 points allowed per contest. So far, the Tennessee defense is giving up an average of 8.0 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 10 times per game (312nd).