In this article we will formulate a Tennessee vs Mercer prediction for this College Basketball game on Monday, November 3rd at the Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this College Basketball matchup.
Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview
The Tennessee Volunteers went 30-8 (12-6) last season and they finished 4th in the SEC standings. Tennessee opened the season with an 80-64 win over Gardner-Webb and followed that up with a win over Louisville by a score of 77-55. The Volunteers won their first 14 games of the season and didn’t lose until January 7th. Tennessee finished the regular season by winning eight of their last ten games, before beating Texas and Auburn in the SEC Tournament, and losing to Florida. The Volunteers did beat Wofford, UCLA, and Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament, but did lose to Houston by a score of 69-50 in the Elite Eight. Tennessee scored 74.0 points per game, which ranked 169th in the country, while they allowed 63.1 points against per game, which ranked 10th.
This year, Tennessee has to replace a ton of production lost from last year’s team. The Volunteers only return one of their top six scorers, so they have to rebuild most of their roster. Felix Okpara was the fifth leading scorer and he averaged 7.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Tennessee was elite last season, but they have a lot of work to do to start this year.
Mercer Bears Betting Preview
The Mercer Bears were 14-19 (6-12) last year and they finished 8th in the Southern Conference standings. Mercer started the season with a 125-54 win over a non-D1 team, but lost to DePaul by a score of 95-64 in their second game. The Bears were 9-6 through 15 games, but they lost 10 of their next 12 games. Mercer did split their last four regular season games and picked up a win over Western Carolina in the conference tournament, but lost to Chattanooga by a score of 76-61 to end the season. The Bears scored 76.1 points per game, which ranked 112th in the nation, while they allowed 75.3 points against per game, which ranked 281st.
This season, Mercer has to replace their top five scorers from last year, who accounted for roughly 51 points and 20 rebounds per game. The Bears do return Brady Shoulders, who averaged 5.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, but they will be starting fresh with pretty much everyone else.
Why the Tennessee Volunteers will win
- Tennessee has won each of its last 44 night games against non-Conference opponents at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
- Mercer has lost each of its last nine games against the Southeastern Conference.
- Tennessee has won the first half in each of its last 10 games against the Southern Conference.
Total Points Facts
- Seven of Tennessee’s last eight games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 139 or fewer points.
- Five of Mercer’s last six games have produced a total of 139 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Tennessee made the equal-fewest field goals in a single game (15) in last season’s NCAA Tournament (vs Houston).
- Tennessee is one of only three teams to be a top four seed in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments.
- Mercer ranked 10th among Division 1 teams for field goal attempts per game last season (64.0).
- Mercer ranked 17th among Division 1 teams for pace last season (71.8).
Tennessee vs Mercer Prediction
Both of these teams come into this season with a lot of new faces, so they may start slow in the first few games. Tennessee made a run to the Elite Eight last year, but they don’t return many parts from that squad. I am confident that the Volunteers will reload this year, as they should have plenty of talent, while Mercer is a big question mark with everything that they lost. Take Tennessee to cover this big number.