NCAA Basketball Betting – #8 Tennessee vs. Alabama

No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers (14-2 SU, 7-5-1 ATS) at Alabama Crimson Tide (11-6 SU, 7-7 ATS)

Tuesday, January 19: 9:00 p.m.

Here are some NCAA Basketball Betting Trends which may impact this game:

Tennessee: 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games
Tennessee: Total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 5 games

Alabama: Total has gone UNDER in their last 5 games
Alabama: 3-5 ATS at home

There may not be a hotter team in college basketball right now than the No. 8 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. They’ve won six in a row, including two against ranked opponents, but must go on the road for the first time since New Year’s Eve, when they travel to Tuscaloosa, AL to take on the Crimson Tide Tuesday night.

The Volunteers were rocked earlier this season by the suspension of four players, but have played maybe their best without them. And while Tyler Smith was kicked off the team a week ago, Melvin Goins and Cameron Tatum will be rejoining the Volunteers on Tuesday night for the first time in three weeks.

It will be interesting to see how much coach Bruce Pearl plays Goins and Tatum, as the team has been playing their best basketball without them. In their absence, the player who has stepped up more than anyone has been undersized forward Wayne Chism. Chism, had the best game of his career Saturday against No. 23 Ole Miss, scoring 26 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.

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Guard Scotty Hopson has been phenomenal as well, averaging 13 points on the season for the Volunteers. And although he doesn’t score many points, point guard Bobby Maze deserves credit too, as he’s averaged five assists in the last four games.

As for Alabama, it hasn’t been an easy first season for new head coach Anthony Smart, especially with the Tide now in conference play. They’ve lost two of three games in the SEC, including a heartbreaker at Vanderbilt last Wednesday.

If there is one place where Alabama should have the advantage in this one, it’s up front. Forward JaMychal Green is a load down low, an athletic 6’9 power forward averaging 15 points and seven rebounds per game. Guard Mikhail Torrance leads Alabama Crimson Tide in both scoring and assists.

The outcome of this game will hinge on one simple thing: Can Alabama’s defense slow down the high-scoring Tennessee attack. The Volunteers average just over 80 points per game, and shoot close to 48 percent from the field. Alabama’s field goal percentage defense is ranked 142 nd in college basketball. If they can’t force the Volunteers into bad shots, they have no chance of winning.

While we mentioned before that Tennessee is one of the hottest teams in the game, they did need overtime last Saturday to hold off Ole Miss. And making their first trip away from Knoxville, expect this game to remain close as well.

But experience usually plays out once conference play hits, and Tennessee has plenty of that. While Tuesday night might not be the best performance we see all year, it’ll be enough for them to win.

Because of it, take the Tennessee Volunteers straight up, in this week’s college basketball betting odds.

Aaron’s Pick: Tennessee -2 ½