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Tennessee basketball vs. Florida Gulf Coast: Live steam, game time, TV, radio, betting, prediction

By Caleb Calhoun

Dec 12, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; General view during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Cincinnati Bearcats at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; General view during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Cincinnati Bearcats at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Coming off a shocking 78-66 loss in Nashville to the Colorado Buffaloes on Sunday, Tennessee basketball takes the court again Wednesday back at home looking to return to form. It’ll be an intriguing test for the Vols against a team that nobody can properly scout just yet.

Ranked No. 22 in the AP Poll and No. 17 in the Coaches Poll, UT welcomes the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles to Rocky Top Wednesday. Rick Barnes’ team is looking to get back above .500 after what has clearly been a sluggish start to the regular season on offensively.

Led by first-year head coach Pat Chambers, who most recently coached the Penn State Nittany Lions for nine years before his tenure ended in 2020, FGCU comes into this game on the heels of a 105-61 win over the Ave Maria Gyrenes. Here is all the information you need for Tennessee basketball’s matchup.

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (2-1) at Tennessee Volunteers (1-1)

Wednesday, Nov. 16 | 7 p.m. ET | Thompson-Boling Arena | Knoxville, Tenn.

Broadcast information

Gambling odds according to WynnBET

  • Line: Tennessee -21
  • Over/Under: 140
  • Moneyline: Tennessee -5000; Florida Gulf Coast +1500

Blowing out Ave Maria isn’t what makes Florida Gulf coast so intriguing. They also beat the USC Trojans on the road 74-61 to start the year, and their only loss was 79-73 to the San Diego  Toreros. That’s not a bad loss when you think about it.

Last year, under Michael Fly, FGCU went 22-12 and reached the second round of The Basketball Classic. Despite losing their two leading scorers, they have returned five of their top eight rotational players led by Zach Anderson, who is averaging over 14 points and eight rebounds.

They also added two key transfers: Isaiah Thompson from the Purdue Boilermakers and Chase Johnston from the Stetson Stetson Hatters. Johnston is the leading scorer at 18 points per game despite coming off the bench, and Thompson is averaging 14 points a game.

Given what just happened to the Vols, this game is no cakewalk. Barnes’ team only scored 75 points in their season-opening win over the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, so the offense has some serious issues, particularly in the midrange. Of course, the defense was awful in the second half of Sunday’s game as well.

This is the Vols’ last chance to fix things before the Battle 4 Atlantis. As a result, Barnes will experiment a bit, but UT pulls away in the second half to cover. Take Tennessee -21. That’s when their offense finally comes alive, so the Over 140 is a good bet too. The score will look something like this: Tennessee 84 Florida Gulf Coast 60.

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The first game for Tennessee basketball in The Bahamas will be next Wednesday against the Butler Bulldogs. FGCU will head over to Estero, Fla., to host the Gulf Coast Showcase starting next Monday when they face the Northern Kentucky Norse.

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