Tennessee basketball at No. 21 LSU: Live stream, broadcast info, line, odds, prediction
After surviving at home in overtime against an okay Ole Miss Rebels team that didn’t have its best player, Tennessee basketball is back on the road for another major test. They will face the No. 21 ranked LSU Tigers Saturday evening.
Ranked No. 18 in both polls, Rick Barnes’ team is facing its second top 25 team on the road in three games and its third top 25 team in four games. They have won two of three but are still looking for a quality true road win.
LSU comes in under head coach Will Wade ranked No. 21 in both polls. They did lose their SEC opener on the road against the Auburn Tigers but are coming off a huge win at home over the Kentucky Wildcats. Here is all the information you need for Tennessee basketball’s matchup.
Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Saturday, Jan. 8. 529. Baton Rouge, La.. 6 p.m. ET. 10-3 (1-1). 534. 13-1 (1-1)
Broadcast info
- TV: ESPN2
- Live stream: WatchESPN
- Radio: Vol Network;
- Listen online: UTSports;
Gambling odds according to WynnBET
- Line: LSU -2
- Over/Under: 137.5
- Moneyline: LSU -135; Tennessee +115
Despite struggling to beat Ole Miss at home when Kermit Davis’ team didn’t have Jarkel Joiner, the Vols nearly beat the Alabama Crimson Tide a week before when they were without John Fulkerson or Kennedy Chandler. As a result, this team has been hard to figure out this year.
What has been consistent is that they play great defense, and that got them through both games, helping them survive Ole Miss. In fact, UT and LSU are the top two adjusted defensive teams in the nation based on the KenPom ratings.
However, Rocky Top’s three-point shooting, while red-hot at the beginning of the year, has gone ice cold. Even against an Ole Miss team that dropped back in their 1-3-1 zone and left the Vols with open looks, they couldn’t buy a bucket for most of regulation.
On the other side, LSU lost three starters to the NBA Draft and another starter to transfer. However, they returned Darius Days, who is currently their leading rebounder and second leading scorer. Wade also added Missouri Tigers transfer Xavier Pinson and Cincinnati Bearcats transfer Tari Eason, both of whom are averaging double figures.
Add in the emergence of Mwani Wilkinson, who started half the season last year and is now full-time starter, along with five-star freshman Efton Reid and four-star freshman Brandon Murray, both of whom are starters, and it’s easy to see why they have been able to offset the loss of so much talent. This team is elite.
The Vols will be looking for their first win against LSU since 2018. In 2019, LSU cost UT the regular season SEC Championship by beating them in the regular season, taking it for themselves. After this game, the Tigers will visit the Florida Gators next Wednesday. UT, meanwhile, will host the South Carolina Gamecocks next Tuesday.
Prediction
All signs point to Will Wade owning Tennessee basketball. However, the Vols are due for an elite three-point shooting game, and they are even better against defenses that contest every shot. LSU does that with their aggression. As a result, UT will have one of its crazy shooting nights.
Look for UT to hit at least 10 three-pointers and shoot at least 40 percent from beyond the arc, allowing them to pull off the upset while the game is more high-scoring than expected with these two elite defensive teams thanks to the tempo the shooting brings. Take Tennessee +2 and the Over 137.5. The score will look something like this: Tennessee 72 LSU 69.