Kentucky Wildcats vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 3/9/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kentucky Wildcats vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024

Location: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Kentucky Wildcats (22-8) are traveling to Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday where they will play the Tennessee Volunteers (24-6).

The Kentucky Wildcats faced off with Vanderbilt and walked away with a win by a score of 93-77 in their last game. In the matter of fouls, the Wildcats left the arena with 18 while Vanderbilt recorded 13 fouls. They knocked down 5 of 23 tries from 3-point range. Vanderbilt shot 76.9% at the free throw line by converting 10 of 13 shots. Furthermore, Vanderbilt collected 32 rebounds (8 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Vanderbilt doled out 11 dimes and had 4 steals in this game. In the matter of the defense, Kentucky allowed 44.9% from the floor on 31 of 69 shooting. They also recorded 27 dimes in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and earning 4 steals. Pertaining to rebounding, they collected a total of 40 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Wildcats knocked down 8 of 9 tries for a rate of 88.9%. Kentucky finished the contest having earned a 50.7% field goal percentage (37 of 73) and converted 11 out of their 27 3-pointers.

Rob Dillingham is one guy who played a role for the game. He shot 60.0% from the field and earned 5 assists. He saw the court for 26 mins played and also totaled 2 boards. He accounted for 23 points on 9 out of 15 shooting.

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Kentucky enters this contest with a record of 22-8 so far this year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.4 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 17.2 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Kentucky is collecting 37.5 boards per game and has 529 dimes this year, which has them ranked 12th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Wildcats are shooting 40.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (292 of 716) and 77.1% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 89.7 pts per game (3rd in the country) while going 49.8% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 12.4 turnovers per game while drawing 17.0 fouls. They give up 32.2% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 339th in college hoops in PPG allowed (79.1). The Wildcats are giving up a FG percentage of 43.0% (831 of 1,932) and they surrender 36.7 rebounds per contest as a team. They are 293rd in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 432 surrendered for the campaign.

For their last game, the Tennessee Volunteers walked away with a victory by a final of 66-59 when they faced South Carolina. In regard to team rebounding, Tennessee permitted South Carolina to get 37 in total (12 offensive). They finished the game shooting 27.6% from 3-point land by hitting 8 of 29 and ended up going 5 of 10 from the free throw line (50.0%). The Volunteers allowed South Carolina to knock down 23 out of 60 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 38.3% in this matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Volunteers finished the game shooting 20 for 56 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 35.7%. Concerning three-point shots, Tennessee converted 7 out of 20 tries (35.0%). They were able to knock down 19 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 86.4%. South Carolina had 17 fouls for the contest which took the Volunteers to the charity stripe for a total of 22 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 7 times, while getting 6 steals in the game. The Volunteers collected 26 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 36 in this game.

Dalton Knecht ended up being a major contributor for the Volunteers in this matchup. He converted 9 of 23 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 39.1%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He tallied 26 points in his 31 mins of playing time and had 1 assist for the matchup.

Tennessee has a mark of 24-6 on the season. The Volunteers have committed 17.5 fouls every game and they connect on 75.0% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 16.9 times per contest (20th in D-1) and they cough up possession 10.3 times per game. Tennessee has scored 2,406 points so far this year (80.2 per contest) and they collect 39.1 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Volunteers are hitting on 45.2% from the floor, which ranks them 148th in the nation.

The Volunteers defensively are ranked 56th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 67.1. They are forcing their opponents into 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 38.3% from the field (2nd in college hoops). The Tennessee defense allows 30.6% on 3-pointers (224 of 732) and their opponents are knocking down 70.0% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 11.2 dimes and 35.1 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 55th and 203rd in those categories on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Kentucky

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