Volunteers, Jayhawks Work Overtime
It wasn’t easy but the Battle 4 Atlantis got the anticipated championship matchup.
Both Tennessee and Kansas needed overtime in games against Southern California and Wisconsin, respectively.
Tennessee has won twice without leading scorer Josiah-Jordan James, who has been out due to left knee soreness.
This will be the first time in the last 13 games during the regular season that Kansas is listed as the underdog by the Las Vegas odds.
According to the college basketball playoff odds, Kansas (+425) is seventh in the second-best odds to reach the Final Four. Tennessee is tied for 12th at +650.
Kansas is third in both the coaches poll and Associated Press Top 25 poll. Tennessee is 21st in the coaches poll and 22nd in the AP ranking.
Kansas’ Jalen Wilson (+1500) is tied for fifth in the odds to win the Wooden Award as the national player of the year.
Let’s check the latest college basketball odds, stats, injury reports and college basketball lines for Tennessee vs Kansas. We’ve plenty of NCAA basketball odds for you to consider.
Freshman Enjoying Trip to Paradise
It has been a slow start to the season for Tennessee freshman Julian Phillips. Heading into the Battle 4 Atlantic, he had missed seven of his last nine shots and he did most of his scoring from the foul line.
That all changed in Thursday’s matchup with USC. Phillips, who hasn’t scored more than 11 points in his first four collegiate games, erupted for 25 on 7-of-13 shooting in the overtime victory. He is averaging 18 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals in the two games in the tournament.
Olivier Nkamhoua is averaging 10.5 points and Santiago Vescovi is contributing 10 points per contest in the last two games. Keep an eye on James, who is considered day-to-day.
Tennessee has covered against the Las Vegas odds in four of the last five games against Big 12 opponents.
Unlikely Hero Emerges for Jayhawks
With Wisconsin one rebound away from handing the defending national champions their first loss of the 2022-23 season, reserve guard Bobby Pettiford saved the day.
Pettiford came into the game with two offensive rebounds in 19 career games at Kansas. Zach Clemence’s 3-point attempt was no good, but Pettiford came in from the perimeter to grab the miss and scored to lift Kansas to the 69-68 win over the Badgers. They were the only points for Pettiford.
Here’s the game-winner in all of its glory pic.twitter.com/njMloSPjo1
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) November 24, 2022
The offense has been coming from a national player of the year candidate Wilson, who had 29 points and 14 rebounds in the game, Kevin McCullar and sweet-shooting freshman Gradey Dick.
Kansas appeared to be headed to a routine win with a 15-point lead before Wisconsin rallied to force overtime. Kansas once again failed to cover.
The college basketball betting line total has gone over in four of the last six Kansas games.
Tennessee vs Kansas Game Injuries
Tennessee vs Kansas Head-to-Head
The Volunteers and Jayhawks are meeting for the third time in the last four seasons.
Santiago Vescovi, Nkamhoua and Jordan-James combined for 20 points and 20 rebounds in Tennessee’s 80-61 win in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 30, 2021, with the Volunteers favored by 3½ points.
Kansas had won the previous three games, with the last two by six points each.
Each of the last four games in the series finished over the total.
Tennessee vs Kansas Game Information
- Game: Tennessee (4-1) vs Kansas (6-0)
- Location: Imperial Arena, Nassau, Bahamas
- Day/Time: Friday, Nov. 25, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Tennessee vs Kansas Live stream: TBS.com
Tennessee vs Kansas Betting Lines
Tennessee vs Kansas Picks & Prediction
Tennessee and Kansas have combined to lose just once this season while being listed as a favorite in each game. However, the teams are just 3-8 against the spread.
A key for Kansas will be to keep Tennessee off the foul line because the Volunteers outscored USC 22-7 at the stripe to overcome 20 turnovers.
Kansas will be looking for more from its bench after the reserves were 1 of 9 from the floor and had three turnovers.
Expect Tennessee to play at a quicker tempo against Kansas than Wisconsin did. However, limiting possessions might not be the worst move for a Volunteers team that is shooting 39% from the field.
The total has gone over five of the last six games between the teams. The total is at 133½ in this one so going with the over makes sense. Tennessee is a slight favorite in the game.
The Tennessee Volunteers are listed at -125 in our Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Volunteers, you have a chance to win $80. The Kansas Jayhawks are +105, offering a chance to win $105 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Tennessee a 55.56% chance to win, with Kansas at 48.78%.
Tennessee vs Kansas Trends
Tennessee vs Kansas Edge
Tennessee vs Kansas Results
Tennessee vs Kansas Game Summary
