Sign In $
College Basketball

Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Tennessee Volunteers Picks, Predictions, Odds

Dave Schwab
Dave Schwab Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read

One of Saturday’s featured season finales in the SEC pits the No. 15 Arkansas Razorbacks against the No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers. Game time on ESPN from Thompson-Boling Arena is set for 12 p.m. (ET).

Score Prediction

Tennessee 76, Arkansas 74

Best Bet

Over 138.5 (-110)

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS vs. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS PREDICTIONS

The Razorbacks head into their final SEC regular season game at 13-4 straight-up after squeezing by LSU by one point on Wednesday night as 5.5 point home favorites. This was their fifth SU win in a row in a bid to win the conference’s regular season title. They are a half-game behind Auburn with the tiebreaker based on an earlier head-to-head win.

Tennessee is also in the mix at 13-4 SU in the conference standings to add even more drama to Saturday’s showdown. The Volunteers have won eight of their last nine games SU with Tuesday’s seven-point road victory over Georgia. However, they failed to cover the hefty 16-point spread in that game. On Feb. 19, Tennessee lost to Arkansas by 10 points on the road as a two-point underdog.

These are the types of showdowns that contribute to the early madness of March. With everything on the line for a possible No. 1 seed for next week’s SEC Tournament, this game should remain close right down the final buzzer. My lean is towards Tennessee playing at home. Yet, my best bet for wagering on this game is the OVER on the total line.

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS vs. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING ODDS

  • Arkansas +200
  • Tennessee -250
  • Arkansas +6.5 (-110)
  • Tennessee -6.5 (-110)
  • Over 138.5 (-110)
  • Under 138.5 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS vs. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING RESOURCES

  • Matchup: SEC
  • Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022
  • Venue: Thompson-Boling Arena
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • TV-Time: ESPN - 12:00 p.m. ET

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS BETTING ANALYSIS

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

  • SU: 24-6
  • ATS: 18-11-1
  • O/U: 17-13

The total stayed UNDER 138 points in the first meeting against Tennessee this season in a game that turned into a grinder. Arkansas was able to come away with a 58-48 win. However, the Razorbacks’ last three games have gone OVER the closing line with an average of 78 points per game while giving up an average of 74.3 points on defense.

Guard JD Notae has been the team’ leading scorer this season with 18.8 PPG. He also leads the way in both assists (3.6) and steals (2.1). Guard Stanley Umude is next on that list with 11.6 points a game while shooting 46% from the field and 36.4% from three point range.

Arkansas has two more players averaging at least 10 points a game as part of the team’s scoring average of 77.4 PPG. Forward Jaylin Williams (10.9 points) leads the way in rebounds with 9.7 a game. Guard Au’Diese Toney is adding another 10.4 points while shooting 52% from the field.

As a team, the Razorbacks are shooting 44.3% from the field and 30.9% from outside the three point line. They are pulling down an average of 38.5 rebounds a game. When it comes to playing defense, they are giving up an average of 67.8 PPG.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING ANALYSIS

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

  • SU: 22-7
  • ATS: 17-12
  • O/U: 12-17

Tennessee’s record against the spread during its current 8-1 SU run in the last nine games is 5-4. This is part of an overall record of 22-7 SU and 17-12 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in four of the last five games. However, the Volunteers have scored 72 points or more in seven of those last nine contests.

Guard Josiah-Jordan James scored a career-high 23 points in Tuesday’s 75-68 win against Georgia. He is averaging 9.4 PPG this season. Guards’ Kennedy Chandler and Santiago Vescovi have delivered most of the scoring this season with a combined 17.1 PPG. James leads the team in rebounds (5.8) and Chandler is averaging 4.6 assists a game. Vescovi leads the way in three-point attempts with 214 and he has converted on 39.3% of those shots. Guard Zakai Zeigler has been money from the foul line at 87.7% to boost the team’s overall percentage to 72.0 from the free throw line.

The Volunteers have been able to average 73.5 points and 37.4 rebounds a game this season. They are shooting 42.8% from the field and 34.6% from outside the three point line. Tennessee gets the clear edge on defense with a points-allowed average of 63. Yet, this might kind of be the kind of game where defense is not that big of a factor.

Arkansas has covered the spread in three of its last four games when playing as the underdog. (AP)

INSIDE THE STATS - ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

  • Record: 24-6
  • PS/G: 77.4 (39th)
  • PA/G: 67.8 (139th)
  • ORtg: 106.4 (102nd)
  • DRtg: 93.2 (37th)

INSIDE THE STATS - TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

  • Record: 22-7
  • PS/G: 73.5 (119th)
  • PA/G: 63 (26th)
  • ORtg: 105.2 (125th)
  • DRtg: 90.2 (15th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • ARK: JD Notae - G (18.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
  • ARK: Stanley Umude - G (11.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
  • TENN: Santiago Vescovi - G (13.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
  • TENN: Kennedy Chandler - G (13.6 ppg, 4.6 apg)

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS vs. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING CONCLUSION

While the total did stay UNDER in the first meeting, that has been the exception to the rule in this series over the past several seasons. Going back to 2017, the total went OVER in the previous seven games between these two teams. I am looking for that trend to prevail on Saturday in a game where scoring points becomes more of a priority than stopping them.

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS vs. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING TRENDS

  • Arkansas has covered the spread in three of its last four games when playing as the underdog.
  • Tennessee has won four of its last six games when facing Arkansas.
  • Tennessee has gone OVER the point total in seven of its last eight games when facing Arkansas

College Basketball News

Dave Schwab

Dave Schwab

Dave Schwab has been covering the sports betting industry for the past 12 years as the main focus of his specialty marketing company for online content. This endeavor followed a previous career in the field of sales and marketing in the wholesaling sector.Most of his weekly pieces focus on the rapidly expanding legal US sports betting industry. However, he still does extensive work covering betting angles that can provide a competitive edge to avid players. Dave believes that it is always a challenge to take past results and current form to try and correctly determine a future result. Sports brings out the unpredictability in what should be a fairly predictable outcome based on the stats, facts and recent trends in a particular matchup. More from Dave Schwab
•