Sign In $
College Basketball

Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers Predictions, Picks, Odds

Daniel Dobish
Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert
6 minute read

The Florida Gators (12-7, 3-4 SEC) travel to meet the Tennessee Volunteers (13-5, 4-3) at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN2.

SCORE PREDICTION

Tennessee 71, Florida 59

BEST BETS

Tennessee -9.5 (-110) at South Point

Under 133.5 (-110) at William Hill

FLORIDA GATORS VS. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS PREDICTIONS

The Gators looked to be making some headway on getting back on track after a three-game losing streak to ranked teams from Jan. 5-12. Florida rattled off three straight wins at South Carolina, and home against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, from Jan. 15-22. It looked like the Gators were finally in good shape until a 70-54 curb-stomping at Ole Miss knocked them right back off the rails. The 54 points scored tied a season low, matching the total Florida scored in its stunning loss to Texas Southern back on Dec. 6.

Florida is still trying to adjust after losing leading scorer Collin Castleton to a shoulder injury suffered in practice earlier in the month. He tried playing through the pain against LSU and South Carolina, both wins, but he has missed the past two games and he is reportedly out indefinitely.

Meanwhile, the Volunteers got well against Vandy and LSU in the past week, making their way back from an embarrassing 107-79 road loss to Kentucky on Jan. 15. The Vols picked up a pair of covers, and the defense was back as well, allowing just 55.0 PPG in the past two games. Tennessee is a perfect 10-0 SU/7-3 at home this season, including victories over ranked foes Arizona and LSU. The Vols have won 11 in a row at home dating back to a loss Feb. 20, 2021 against Kentucky.

FLORIDA GATORS VS. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING ODDS

More Odds | Futures Odds

FLORIDA GATORS VS. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING RESOURCES

  • Matchup: SEC
  • Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2022
  • Venue: Thompson-Boling Arena
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • TV-Time: ESPN2 - 6:00 p.m. ET

FLORIDA GATORS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 12-7
  • ATS: 10-9
  • O/U: 8-10-1

Despite Monday's loss in Oxford, the Gators are still a respectable 3-1 SU/ATS, but face a difficult game against another ranked team. They're 0-3 SU/ATS in three conference games against ranked teams, including a road game at Auburn on Jan. 8. The last victory for Florida against a ranked team came back on Nov. 24 on a neutral floor against Ohio State. Florida actually won its first two of the season against ranked foes, also topping then-ranked Florida State at home on Nov. 14.

Florida is 1-1 SU/ATS as an underdog this season, falling at Auburn Jan. 8, while winning the aforementioned game against FSU. The Gators are 1-6 ATS in the past seven on the road, while going 3-8 ATS in the past 11 following a straight-up loss. Florida is also 1-5 ATS in the past six on the road against teams with a winning home record.

As far as totals, the UNDER has cashed in four of the past five games overall, while also hitting the UNDER in four of the past five against winning teams. The UNDER is 13-5-1 in the past 19 games following a non-cover, too, while going 39-16-1 in the past 56 following a straight-up loss.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 13-5
  • ATS: 11-7
  • O/U: 7-11

Tennessee trucked a good LSU team by a 64-50 count at Thompson-Boling last time out, easily covering a 5.5-point number. The Vols shot 43%, or 22-of-51, while knocking down 10-of-28, or 36%, from behind the 3-point line. The Vols would have won by an even larger margin if not for a lapse in concentration at the free-throw line, connecting on just 56%, or 10-of-18. That's been a major bugaboo for the Vols this season, ranking just 290th in the nation with a dismal 67.4% mark from the charity stripe.

The Vols are 7-3 ATS in the past 10 games overall, while going 5-1 ATS in the past six games at home. They're also 9-4 ATS in the past 13 games against teams with a winning overall record.

For totals, the defensive-minded Vols have hit the UNDER in each of the past four at home, while going UNDER in 10 of the past 13 games overall. The UNDER is also 4-1 in the past five against teams with a winning overall mark.

Tennessee won the past two in this series, including each of the past five at home. The Vols are also a perfect 5-0 ATS at home during the span, while cashing in seven of the previous nine meetings overall. The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five in this series, too, including all four regular-season meetings.


Florida has covered just once in its past seven road outings. (AP)

INSIDE THE STATS - FLORIDA GATORS

  • Record: 12-7
  • VI Ranking: 37
  • PS/G: 71.3 (191st)
  • PA/G: 63.1 (40th)
  • ORtg: 104.6 (144th)
  • DRtg: 92.4 (50th)

INSIDE THE STATS - TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

  • Record: 13-5
  • VI Ranking: 20
  • PS/G: 74.4 (121st)
  • PA/G: 62.6 (34th)
  • ORtg: 104.8 (138th)
  • DRtg: 88.1 (15th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • UF: Anthony Duruji - F (9.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG)
  • UF: Phlandrous Fleming Jr. - G (10.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.3 SPG)
  • TENN: Kennedy Chandler - G (13.3 PPG, 4.9 APG, 3.1 RPG, 2.3 SPG)
  • TENN: Santiago Vescovi - F (14.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.9 SPG)

FLORIDA GATORS VS. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING CONCLUSION

This would certainly be a tall order for the Gators even if Castleton were available. But the leading scorer is sidelined, and the Gators looked like a rudderless ship in its most recent road game against Ole Miss. Don't expect a better performance against a very good Tennessee team at home.

The Volunteers have won six of the past seven meetings in this series, also going 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings. You can expect the Vols to bring it, as they're healthy, they're at home in front of their raucous crowd, and they're facing a Gators team without its best weapon. Tennessee is going to roll to a double-digit victory in this one.

FLORIDA GATORS VS. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING TRENDS

  • Florida is 1-6 ATS in the past seven road games.
  • Florida is 1-5 ATS in the past six road vs. teams with winning home record.
  • Florida is 3-8 ATS in the past 11 after a straight-up loss.
  • Tennessee is 7-3 ATS in the past 10 games overall.
  • Tennessee is 5-1 ATS in the past six road games.
  • Tennessee is 9-4 ATS in the past 13 vs. winning teams.
  • The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five games overall for Florida.
  • The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five vs. winning teams for Florida.
  • The UNDER is 10-3 in the past 13 games overall for Tennessee.
  • The UNDER is 4-0 in the past four home games for Tennessee.
  • The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five vs. winning teams for Tennessee.
  • The home team is 14-3 ATS in the past 17 meetings.
  • The favorite is 10-3 ATS in the past 13 meetings.

College Basketball News

Daniel Dobish

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish
•