The Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Cavaliers meet Sunday in NCAA Tournament Second Round college basketball action from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Here’s a Virginia vs. Tennessee prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Virginia vs. Tennessee pick.
Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview
The Vols managed to win 12 of their first 16 games this year, then took wins in eight of the next nine games over Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. A sketchy 1-3 run finished off the regular season. Those losses were versus Missouri, Alabama and Vanderbilt. After a win over Auburn and a loss to Vanderbilt in the conference tourney, Tennessee took out Miami-OH.
In the NCAA Tournament First Round matchup versus the RedHawks, the Volunteers were ahead pretty comfortably as they came back out onto the floor after the break, holding a 51-32 edge. Tennessee posted a 27-24 run the rest of the way and won the game handily 78-56. Leading the team in scoring was Ja’Kbi Gillespie with 29 points, nine assists, three steals and three rebounds for the Vols.
Virginia Cavaliers Betting Preview
Over on the Virginia side, they managed to take wins in 16 of their first 19 outings. Next came a win streak over Notre Dame, Boston College, Pitt, Syracuse, Florida State, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Miami and NC State before a loss to Duke. After four more wins over Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, NC State and Miami leading into the conference tourney, Virginia fell to Duke again before a win over Wright State.
In NCAA Tournament First Round action versus Wright State on Friday, Virginia was in trouble with a 43-38 deficit going into the second half. The Cavs managed to wear the Raiders down on a 44-30 run in the remainder of the game, though, taking the win in the end 82-73. Leading the team in scoring was Jacari White with 26 points and three boards, while Sam Lewis chipped in 12 points.
Why the Virginia Cavaliers will win
- Virginia has won 17 of its last 18 night games.
- Tennessee has lost each of its last four games as an AP-ranked team against an AP-ranked team.
- Virginia has won the first half in eight of its last nine night games against non-Conference opponents.
Why the Tennessee Volunteers will win
- Tennessee has won 24 of its last 26 night games against non-Conference opponents.
- Virginia has lost 12 of its last 13 games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Tennessee has won the first half in each of its last nine night games.
Total Points Facts
- Thirteen of Virginia’s last 14 games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 140+ points.
- Seven of Tennessee’s last eight night games against AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 139+ points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Virginia ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for blocks per game this season (6.2).
- Virginia ranks T11th among Division 1 teams for rebounds per game this season (40.8).
- Tennessee ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for rebound percentage this season (59.2%).
- Tennessee is one of only four teams to reach the Elite 8 in each of its last two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Virginia vs Tennessee Prediction
I’m just going to stay with Virginia. The Cavs need a more complete effort than they got versus Wright State, though, what with the weak first half. Virginia did end up shooting a nice 51.9 percent from the field with 50 percent (13-of-26) from outside and 92.9 percent (13-of-14) at the line. The Cavaliers added a 32-22 rebounding advantage and a 28-16 edge in the paint but did have 12 turnovers for 14 Raiders points. Virginia has won five of their last six games now, scoring 70 or more points in all of them.
As for Tennessee, they didn’t have much issue with a volatile Miami-OH squad, holding the RedHawks to just 35.2 percent shooting while notching 52.5 percent themselves. The Vols added a 33-22 rebounding edge but got into a bit of turnover trouble themselves with 15 for 16 Miami-OH points. Tennessee is 3-2 in their last five with 72 or more points in four of those. We should have a decent total in this one—unless Virginia is able to slow it down with defense.