Bad news for sports bettors: College football’s regular season has come to a close.
Good news for sports bettors: College basketball’s regular season is heating up fast, with the holiday school break generating a slew of intriguing intersectional matchups.
Once such matchup takes place Wednesday between two ranked teams that haven’t shared the same court since Nov. 13, 1998. Props.com breaks down this cross-country clash from a college basketball betting perspective.
No. 6 Arizona At No. 19 Tennessee
Tipoff Time: 7 p.m. EST
Venue: Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, Tenn.)
TV: ESPN2
Arizona: 11-0 SU/8-2-1 ATS
Tennessee: 8-2 SU/6-4 ATS
Odds: Side & Total
| Sportsbook | Spread | Total |
| BetMGM | Pick ’em (-110) | 153.5 |
| Caesars | Tennessee -1 (-110) | 154 |
| DraftKings | Tennessee -1 (-110) | 153 |
| FanDuel | Tennessee -1 (-110) | 153 |
| PointsBet USA | Tennessee -1.5 (-110) | 153 |
Odds updated as of 3:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 22.
Betting Trends
Arizona
- Arizona is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven overall
- The Wildcats are 3-1 ATS this season in road and neutral-site games
- Arizona is 6-13-1 ATS in its last 20 as an underdog
- The Wildcats are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 Wednesday games
- The Over is 5-0 in Arizona’s last five Wednesday contests and 10-2 in its last 12 following a SU win
Tennessee
- Tennessee is 4-1 ATS in its last five overall (all as a favorite)
- The Volunteers are 1-4 ATS in their last five after scoring 91-plus points the previous game
- Tennessee is 3-11-2 ATS in its last 16 Wednesday games
- The Under is 4-1 in Tennessee’s last five overall. The combined totals: 148, 112, 109 123, and 130 points
Odds & Ends
— Arizona is 3-0 SU/ATS against power-conference opponents this season. The Wildcats beat Illinois 83-79 as a 2.5-point road favorite (Dec. 11); crushed Oregon State 90-65 as a 13.5-point chalk in their Pac-12 opener (Dec. 6); and upset Michigan 80-62 laying 3.5 points in Las Vegas (Nov. 22).
— Tennessee is 2-2 SU and ATS against nationally ranked and/or power-conferences foes this season. The Volunteers hammered North Carolina (89-72 as a 2.5-point neutral-site chalk) and Colorado (69-54 as a 5.5-point road favorite), but lost to Villanova (71-53 as a 2-point neutral-site dog) and Texas Tech (57-52 in overtime as a 4-point neutral-site favorite).
— The Wildcats are 5-5 SU on the road against ranked opponents in the last 10 years. The combined totals in those contests: 153, 147, 121, 147, 143, 181, 134, 131, 120, and 150 points. All 10 stayed Under Wednesday’s consensus total of 153.5
— The Volunteers have lost four of their last five home games against ranked opponents. The combined totals: 141, 137, 148, 141, and 98 points.
— Arizona has posted double-digit victories in nine of 11 games. The lone exceptions were a four-point victory at Illinois and a four-point overtime victory over Wichita State on a neutral floor.
— Similarly, all eight of Tennessee’s wins have been double-digit routs, with an average victory margin of 28.6 points. The Vols are also 2-1 ATS as a single-digit favorite.
— This season, the Wildcats and their opponents are averaging 153.8 combined points per game, while Tennessee and its foes are averaging 136.4 points per outing.
— Arizona currently has the sixth-best odds to win the NCAA title (+1,600). The Volunteers slot 22nd on the college basketball national championship odds board (+4,500), tied with UConn, Seton Hall, Memphis, and LSU.
— Player to Watch: Arizona sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin is a legitimate candidate for the Wooden Award. The Montreal native has been a consistent force for the Wildcats, averaging 17.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field. During a recent three-game run against Oregon State, Wyoming, and Illinois (Dec. 5-11), Mathurin averaged 27.7 points and 7.9 rebounds. He buried at least 10 field goals in all three victories.
