Saturday is a phenomel day to be a college sports fan. Saturday is conference championship weekend in football, and there is an extravagant college hoops slate. That slate is headlined with the 13th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers playing a neutral-site game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, taking on the 14th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini. The game will be tipped off at 8 pm ET on ESPN.
The last week or so has been a frustrating one for Tennessee basketball fans, to say the least. They knocked off one of the nation's best teams in Houston, only to fall in back-to-back games versus Kansas and Syracuse.
All of that leads to one thing, and that is that Saturday night is a must win game for Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers basketball squad.
Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook
Line: Tennessee -2.5
Over/Under: 151.5
Moneyline: Tennessee -146 | Illinois +122
Prediction: Can Tennessee bounce back?
Being that this game is essentially a home game despite not being played at Thompson-Boling Arena, the Volunteers will have the Nashville crowd on their side.
Tennessee struggled to take care of the ball versus Syracuse, but that shouldn't be a problem versus Illinois. The Fighting Illini don't force many turnovers, and they struggle with physical teams like Tennessee.
The primary concern for Volunteers fans is Illinois' dominant offensive firepower. Brad Underwood's squad averages 90.4 points per game and features a dynamic backcourt in Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell. They will keep Tennessee on its heels all game long.
In a game between two styles, I always like to favor the defensive team. Tennessee will have to capitalize on stops and take care of the basketball. If they do this, they will wear Illinois down and come away victorious.
Final score prediction:
Tennessee 81, Illinois 77
Tennessee is in an ideally determined, bounce-back spot. They will thrive in a home atmosphere, and Ja'kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament will make enough plays down the stretch to push the Volunteers forward with a close victory.