College Hoops Marquette @ Tennessee

In an intriguing game that is part of the Big East/SEC Invitational on ESPN, the Tennessee Volunteers (6-2 SU, 5-2 ATS) will play host to the Marquette Golden Eagles (8-1 SU, 2-3 ATS) in a matchup of teams invariably bound for the Big Dance, in NCAA college basketball sports betting action, scheduled to begin at 9:30 PM ET at the Sommet Center in Nashville, TN.

BetOnline NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: TENNESSEE -6, Total 164

Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* MARQ has won 11 of its last 14 games SU

* MARQ has covered six of its last eight road games

* MARQ has played its last five road games OVER the total

* TENN has won 20 of its last 25 games SU

* TENN has covered five of its last seven games

* TENN has won its last 16 home games SU

We consider this one sort of a home game for Tennessee although this contest, part of a made-for-television "Big East/SEC Invitational" on ESPN, is being played at the "neutral" Sommet Center in Nashville where Vanderbilt is more or less the host.

Tennessee has felt the heat in the kitchen already and has not come out unscathed. The Volunteers have scored wins over pesky Siena and powerful Georgetown, while falling to Gonzaga and Temple. The loss to the Owls was particularly disappointing as Tennessee shot less than 37%, and the defense could not stop Temple’s star player, Dionte Christmas, who scored 35 points. Certainly Christmas came early. Yes, I had to get that in.

What Bruce Pearl looks to achieve with his team is a very fast pace and a lot of minutes for a lot of people. His team is averaging 85 points a game, with nine players averaging 16 minutes a game and six scoring nine points a game or more. Not that Pearl is without problems. He has inside people, but little shot-blocking. Guard J.P. Prince, the second-leading scorer, is likely out with an ankle injury. But the Vols have maintained a +11 rebounding margin and point guard Bobby Maze has shined with an assist-turnover ratio of better than 4-to-1.

Marquette’s calling card is scoring balance, especially in its guard play. Dominic James, Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal are an experienced trio and one of the best tandems in the nation who are averaging 47 points a game between them. But there is not much strength in the paint beyond Lazar Hayward (16.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg), and this is not a team with any depth. They are going to be in trouble against Tennessee’s face paced and bench. The Vols are permitting less than 30% beyond the arc, and will certainly have a size edge inside the circle. Tyler Smith is someone the small lineup is going to have some major problems with.

The loss to Temple was all the more humiliating when the fans launched into chants of "Overrated!" as the Vols left the court. They’ve had a couple of days to stew over that. Look for Pearl to have his team fired up against a Marquette squad that is not as well-tested this year. We’ll lay the points with the Volunteers, the six-point favorite in the BetOnline Sportsbook NCAA basketball betting odds.

JAY’S PLAY: TENNESSEE -6 ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

(Charles Jay of http://www.ebookies.com makes his share of shots from downtown as a contributor to the BetOnline Locker Room)