College Basketball Betting: Tennessee Favored In Jimmy V Classic Opener

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes gestures during a game against the Colorado Buffaloes
Image Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

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 several Power 5 conferences getting a jump-start on league play this month.

Going forward, Props.com will profile one marquee game every Monday through Thursday, examining that matchup from a college basketball betting perspective.

Tuesday’s featured clash is the opener of the Jimmy V Classic doubleheader, taking place at The World’s Most Famous Arena.

Texas Tech vs. No. 13 Tennessee

Image Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Tipoff Time: 7 p.m. EST
Venue: Madison Square Garden (New York City)
TV: ESPN
Texas Tech: 6-1 SU/4-3 ATS
Tennessee: 6-1 SU/4-3 ATS

Odds: Side & Total

Sportsbook Spread Total
BetMGM Tennessee -3.5 (-110) 137.5
Caesars Tennessee -4 (-110) 137.5
DraftKings Tennessee -4.5 (-110) 138.5
FanDuel Tennessee -4 (-118) 137.5
The SuperBook Tennessee -4 (-110) 137.5

Odds updated as of 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 7.

Betting Trends

Texas Tech Betting Trends

  • The Red Raiders are 1-5 ATS in their last six neutral-site games.
  • Texas Tech is 4-1 ATS in its last five games following an ATS setback.
  • The Over is 5-1 in Texas Tech’s last six games following a straight-up defeat. The combined totals during this stretch: 183, 118, 133, 127, 143 and 128 points.

Tennessee Betting Trends

  • The Volunteers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as a neutral-site favorite.
  • Tennessee is 4-1 ATS in its last five games as a favorite (regardless of venue).
  • The Over is 10-1 in Tennessee’s last 11 when favored at a neutral site.
  • The Under is 6-1 in the Vols’ last seven Tuesday games.

Odds & Ends

Tennessee Volunteers guard Kennedy Chandler shoots the ball over Colorado Buffaloes guard Elijah Parquet
Image Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

— Texas Tech is coming off its first defeat of the season, a 72-68 setback at Providence as a 2.5-point road chalk. The game cleared the 140-point consensus total by 3.5 points, making the Over 3-1 in the Red Raiders’ last four games.

— All seven of Tennessee’s games this season have produced double-digit results, including a 71-53 loss to then-No. 5 Villanova two weeks ago. The Vols have since rebounded with four straight blowout victories (3-1 ATS), most recently stifling Colorado 69-54 as a 5.5-point road favorite on Saturday. The game stayed Under the 136.5-point closing total.

— According to BetPrep.com, Texas Tech is dead even with Over/Unders in its last 34 games (17-17), while Tennessee owns a similar mark in its last 33 contests (17 Unders, 16 Overs).

— The Red Raiders and their opponents are averaging a combined 143.8 points per game this season. Consequently, Texas Tech has cleared tonight’s consensus total of 137.5 five times — vs. North Florida (183 points), Grambling (150), Incarnate Word (146), Lamar (146), and Providence (140).

— Tennessee and its opponents have averaged 145 combined points per game. The Volunteers have also scored 80-plus points in six of their seven victories. However, UT has surpassed tonight’s consensus total in only four of its seven games: 152 vs. UT-Martin, 156 vs. East Tennessee State, 181 at North Carolina, and 149 vs. Tennessee Tech.

— This game marks the first time this century that these schools have met on the hardwood.

— Player To Watch: Tennessee freshman guard Kennedy Chandler already leads the Volunteers in scoring (16.1 points per game) and assists (4.7 per game). The Memphis native notched a career-high 27 points in Saturday’s thumping of Colorado. He also racked up 12 combined steals against Tennessee Tech and Presbyterian in late November.

Jay Clemons
Jay Clemons remains the only sports writer on the planet to capture Cynposis Media's national award for Sports Blog Of The Year (beating out NBA.com, MLB.com, PGATour.com, The Players' Tribune in 2015), along with the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's pre-eminent award for Best Football Writer (2008). Through the years, Mr. Clemons has been a key figure with numerous blue-chip sports/media brands, namely the Detroit Lions, Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports, Bleacher Report and now American Affiliate's Props.com. Clemons, a graduate of Michigan State University and Wayne State University, has been an on-camera Web-TV host for Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and FOX Sports. In 2015, he also became the first-ever sports journalism professor at Kennesaw State University in suburban Atlanta. And for the betting community, covering the last two years of the sports calendar (2019-20 / 2020-21), Clemons enjoyed a rock-solid winning rate of 59.6 percent with point-spread and over/under selections (NFL, college football and college basketball.)

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