Western Carolina Catamounts vs Tennessee Volunteers NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 12/17/24

Planning on watching today’s Catamounts and Volunteers game? Catch the action at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, TN, as the Volunteers hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on SEC. The over/under for this non-conference contest is set at 144 points, with Tennessee being favored by -38 over Western Carolina.

WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS VS TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Western Carolina Catamounts +38

This game will be played at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center at 7:00 ET on Tuesday, December 17th.

WHY BET THE WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-71 in favor of the Volunteers.
• Even though we have Tennessee winning straight-up, we like Western Carolina at +38.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 144 points, and we like the over with a projected 148 points.

Will the Western Carolina Defense Show Up on the Road?

Western Carolina’s season struggles continued with a 78-61 loss to UNC Asheville on Saturday, dropping their record to 1-6. Entering the game as +7 point underdogs, the Catamounts not only lost but also failed to cover the spread. The game’s total points reached 139, falling short of the 147-point over/under line.

Trailing 42-33 at halftime, Western Carolina managed just 28 points in the second half while allowing 36 points. The Catamounts will need to regroup as they look to turn their season around.

Western Carolina struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 39.3% from the field and 24.1% from three-point range, finishing with 61 points. Their effective field goal percentage was 45.9%, and they hit only 46.2% of their free throws.

Josh Banks led the way with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Jordan Marsh added 18 points, hitting 2-of-3 from deep. The Catamounts had 11 offensive rebounds and 11 assists as a team.

Western Carolina’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 78 points on 52% shooting from the field. They allowed their opponent to hit 56% of their two-point attempts, with 22 made baskets from inside the arc.

From three-point range, Western Carolina’s defense held their opponent to 4 made threes on 11 attempts, a 36% shooting rate. They also sent the opposing team to the free-throw line 28 times, where they converted 22 free throws for a 78% success rate.

Will Tennessee Make it Happen at Home?

Tennessee improved to 10-0 on the season with a 66-64 win over Illinois on Saturday. The Volunteers, who were -2 favorites, pushed against the spread. The game’s total points of 130 fell well short of the 148.5 O/U line.

Tennessee led 31-30 at halftime and scored 35 points in the 2nd half while allowing 34 to Illinois.

In their last game, Tennessee’s offense struggled, shooting just 32.3% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was 37.1%, and they managed only 6 assists as a team.

Jordan Gainey led the way with 23 points, hitting 3 of 6 from deep, while Kasparas Jakucionis added 22 points despite shooting 33.3% overall. The Volunteers pulled down 17 offensive rebounds and shot 71.4% from the free-throw line, making 20 of 28 attempts.

Despite Tennessee’s strong defensive showing, they sent their opponent to the free-throw line 36 times, where they converted 30 of those attempts, accounting for nearly half of their 64 points. From the field, Tennessee’s defense was stifling, holding the opposition to just 29% shooting overall.

From beyond the arc, Tennessee limited their opponent to just 4 made threes on 23 attempts, a 17% shooting performance. Inside the arc, the opposition managed 11 field goals on 28 attempts, shooting 39% on two-pointers.