Western Carolina Catamounts vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 12/17/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Western Carolina Catamounts vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Location: Food City Center in Knoxville, TN

TV: ESPN+

Food City Center is the location where the Tennessee Volunteers (10-0) will meet the Western Carolina Catamounts (3-6) on Tuesday.

The Western Carolina Catamounts played UNC Asheville and ended up losing by a score of 78-61 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Catamounts finished with 23 and UNC Asheville totaled 13 personal fouls. They converted 4 of 11 attempts from 3-point range. UNC Asheville went 78.6% when shooting free throws by burying 22 of 28 tries. Additionally, UNC Asheville pulled down 29 rebounds (3 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. UNC Asheville totaled 9 assists and had 9 steals for the contest. When discussing defense, Western Carolina allowed their opponent to shoot 52.0% from the field on 26 of 50 shooting. They also dished out 11 dimes in the game in addition to forcing 13 turnovers and having 6 steals. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they earned 30 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Catamounts made 6 of 13 tries for a percentage of 46.2%. Western Carolina finished the contest with a 39.3% FG percentage (24 out of 61) and knocked down 7 of their 29 three-point shots.

Marcus Kell is someone who was a major contributor in the matchup. He finished shooting 66.7% from the field but had no dimes when the game ended. He was on the hardwood for 21 mins and also totaled 2 rebounds. He was able to score 11 points on 4 out of 6 shooting.

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Western Carolina comes into this contest with a mark of 3-6 for the year. They lose possession via turnover 17.4 times per game and as a unit they commit 17.1 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Western Carolina is pulling in 39.9 boards per contest and is sitting with 125 dimes this year, which ranks 305th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Catamounts are connecting on 31.4% on three-point shots (86 of 274) and 67.7% from the free throw line. They average 72.9 pts per game (245th in the nation) while hitting 43.2% from the field.

On defense, the Catamounts are forcing their opponents into 13.3 turnovers per game and they draw 14.6 fouls. They give up 33.2% from 3-point land and they are 292nd in the nation in points per game from their opponents (76.1). Catamounts defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 43.6% (244 of 559) and they surrender 33.3 boards per contest as a squad. They are 151st in college basketball in giving up assists with 131 conceded on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Tennessee Volunteers went home victorious with a score of 66-64 when they faced Illinois. Concerning attacking the glass, Tennessee permitted Illinois to pull down 32 in total (10 offensive). They finished the game shooting 17.4% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 4 out of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 30 of 36 from the charity stripe (83.3%). The Volunteers allowed Illinois to make 15 out of 51 tries from the field which had them shooting 29.4% in this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Volunteers ended up going 20 out of 62 from the field which had them at 32.3%. In relation to shooting from downtown, Tennessee converted 6 out of their 24 tries (25.0%). They were able to convert 20 of the free throw tries for a clip of 71.4%. Illinois was called for 21 personal fouls in this game which took the Volunteers to the free throw line for a total of 28 attempts. They also gave up possession 4 times, while earning 7 steals for this contest. The Volunteers were able to snag 23 defensive rebounds and 16 offensive boards totaling 39 in this game.

Jordan Gainey ended up having an impact for the Volunteers for this game. He accumulated 23 points in his 34 mins on the court and had 2 dimes in the game. He made 6 out of 14 for this contest giving him a rate of 42.9%, and had 2 rebounds.

Tennessee has a win-loss record of 10-0 so far this year. As an offense, the Volunteers are connecting on 49.9% from the floor, which ranks 23rd in college hoops. Tennessee has scored 808 points this season (80.8 per contest) and they grab 38.7 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 16.3 times per contest (65th in the country) and they turn it over 11.3 times per contest. The Volunteers are committing 15.2 personal fouls every game while shooting 73.8% from the charity stripe.

The Volunteers on the defensive end are ranked 5th in college basketball in PPG given up with 57.9. They are able to force 13.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 35.3% from the field (2nd in Division 1). The Tennessee defense allows 25.7% on shots from 3-point land (69 of 268) and opponents are knocking down 75.2% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 9.3 assists and 28.3 boards every game, which ranks them 12th and 5th in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Tennessee

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