Online Sportsbook – Tennessee Goes To #18 Kentucky With Coach Back On Board

People who gravitate toward the online sportsbook know that Tennessee has been without its spiritual leader throughout the SEC campaign thus far. On Tuesday night the coach is back on board, as Bruce Pearl returns to the sideline for the Volunteers as the visit the 18th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats in SEC action that is scheduled to get underway at 9 PM ET at the Rupp Arena in Lexington. The online sportsbook odds have Kentucky posted as the 8.5-point favorite. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Tennessee Volunteers (15-8 SU, 10-10 ATS) at #18 Kentucky Wildcats (16-6 SU, 8-9 ATS)
Live at Rupp Arena
Lexington, KY
Tuesday, February 8 — 9 PM ET
TV:  ESPN

NCAAB Online Sportsbook Odds:
Kentucky  -8.5
Tennessee  +8.5

Here are the ncaab betting trends that are associated with the online sportsbook:

• Tennessee has won and covered five of its last seven games
• Tennessee has played its last seven games UNDER the total
• Kentucky has covered one of its last five games
• Kentucky has won eleven of its last 15 games SU
• Kentucky has played five of its last seven games UNDER the total
• Kentucky has won 13 of its last 14 home games SU

Bruce Pearl, a one-time NCAA rat who may have committed recruiting violations and lied to NCAA investigators about it, probably could have been fired form his job. Instead, he got a suspension of eight games, not by the NCAA itself, but the SEC, and has now served out that suspension.

Pearl’s team was 5-3, both straight-up and in the online sportsbook odds, in SEC play while he was gone. Known as a player’s coach, we would think the players are very enthusiastic about his return. He comes back at an opportune time, because the Vols dropped a home game to defensively-conscientious Alabama last time out. Tony Jones, who sat in for Pearl, was adequate, but he isn’t going to have a mind meld with Albert Einstein, if you know what I mean. 

These are some of the head-to-head online sportsbook trends that are related to this rivalry:

• Kentucky has won four of the last five meetings SU
• Kentucky has covered six of the last seven meetings
• Six of the last seven meetings have gone UNDER the total
• Kentucky has won the last five meetings SU as the home team
• The last six meetings in Lexington have gone UNDER the total
• Kentucky has had the shooting edge in nine of the last ten meetings
• Kentucky has had the rebounding edge in nine of the last ten meetings
• Kentucky has made more three-pointers in five of the last six meetings

As you can see from the online sportsbook trends, Kentucky has held a certain degree of dominance in this series (including a 29-point win in last year’s SEC tournament), but you have to recognize that in the era of the mercenary John Calipari and the succession of one-and-done types he has already had and will continue to have, the personnel changes so radically that it doesn’t matter much year-to-year.

What we CAN tell you is that this is quite possibly a matchup between the SEC’s deepest team and the team with the least depth. Tennessee is going to be pumped up as it is, and you just know the Pearl is going to pull the trigger on what he does best, and what makes the difference between himself and his associate head coach. Jones, which is making those rapid fire substitutions, keeping fresh guys in the game at all times, and wearing the other team down. Granted, Kentucky has enough talent where it won’t be easy, but we think there are plenty of points to work with and we’re going to take them in this online sportsbook play.

JAY’S PLAY:  TENNESSEE +8.5 ****

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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