Florida Gators (11-5) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (12-4)
January 16, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Tennessee Volunteers -9.5; Over/Under: 160
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The Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Thompson-Boling Arena. Florida is coming off a win over Arkansas which improved the Gators to 11-5 on the year. As for Tennessee, they’re 12-4 following a victory versus Georgia. Let’s get into our Florida vs. Tennessee prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Florida Gators
The Gators managed a nice 10-3 run over their first 13 outings this year, losing to only Virginia, Baylor and Wake Forest in that stretch. Florida would then take consecutive losses (for the second time this season) to Kentucky and Ole Miss, but then bounced back with a win over Arkansas.
On Saturday versus Arkansas, the Gators were in firm control most of the game. Florida was up 46-33 by halftime, then cruised from there on a 44-35 run for a 90-68 blowout victory. Tops in scoring on the team was Riley Kugel, who came off the bench to contribute 20 points and five boards.
Tennessee Volunteers
Over on the Volunteers’ side, they hit a sketchy 4-3 run to start the year with losses to Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina. Tennessee then beat George Mason, Illinois, Georgia Southern, NC State, Tarleton State, Norfolk State Ole Miss and Georgia during an 8-1 run over the next nine outings.
In the Georgia matchup over the weekend, Tennessee went into the second half with a 42-37 edge. The Volunteers kept the pace from there on 43 more points and finished with an 85-79 road win. Dalton Knecht was the team’s top scorer on 36 points, four rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes of work.
ANDREW’S FREE FLORIDA VS TENNESSEE PREDICTION
I’ll stick with Tennessee. You could probably argue this one either way, though. We should have a really fun matchup regardless. The Volunteers put up a nice effort versus a good Georgia team in their last game, shooting 47.5 percent from the field with 46 rebounds and 17 team assists. That makes 72 or more points in four straight games for Tennessee, and they’ve got a promising shot at posting a nice total at home on Tuesday.
As for Florida, they’re on a great scoring run themselves with 85 or more points in six straight outings. This one will be a high total if both teams are on (which I think they will be), and I like Tennessee to power out the cover in the end.
