Gardner-Webb Bulldogs vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 12/21/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Gardner-Webb Bulldogs vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Sunday, December 21, 2025

Location: Food City Center in Knoxville, TN

TV: ESPN+

The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (2-12) are on their way to Food City Center on Sunday where they will go up against the Tennessee Volunteers (8-3).

The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs took the court against Toccoa Falls and earned the victory with a final of 105-65 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Bulldogs finished with 19 while Toccoa Falls totaled 15 fouls. They knocked down 5 out of their 20 tries from downtown. Toccoa Falls finished 75.0% from the charity stripe by making 18 of their 24 tries. On top of that, Toccoa Falls grabbed 20 rebounds (5 offensive, 15 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Toccoa Falls recorded 10 assists and had 7 steals for the game. When talking about defending, Gardner-Webb allowed the other team to go 37.5% from the field on 21 out of 56 shooting. They also dished out 21 dimes for the game while creating 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In reference to pulling down rebounds, they earned 39 with 10 of them being offensive. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Bulldogs converted 15 of 21 tries for a rate of 71.4%. Gardner-Webb finished the game with a 62.1% field goal percentage (41 of 66) and buried 8 of 21 three-point shots.

Curtis Williams is one player who was a major factor in the matchup. He accounted for 20 points on 8 of 14 shooting. He was on the court for 27 minutes and totaled 5 rebounds. He finished 57.1% from the field and also recorded 2 dimes.

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Gardner-Webb heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 2-12 so far this season. They are giving up possession 14.2 times per game and as a squad they commit 17.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Gardner-Webb is pulling in 32.4 rebounds per contest and has totaled 151 dimes for the season, which has them ranked 266th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Bulldogs are shooting 31.2% on shots from distance (96 of 308) and 70.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 70.8 points per outing (310th in the nation) while hitting 42.8% from the floor.

On defense, the Bulldogs are forcing 11.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.4 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 365th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 268 conceded for the year. The Bulldogs defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 50.5% (438 of 867) and they surrender 37.6 rebounds per contest as a team. They are surrendering 37.9% from 3-point land and they are ranked 356th in the country in PPG allowed (87.1).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Tennessee Volunteers got the victory with a final of 83-62 when they faced Louisville. The Volunteers snagged 25 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 32 in this contest. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while recording 8 steals in this matchup. Louisville earned 20 fouls in the matchup which got the Volunteers to the charity stripe for a total of 28 tries. They were able to bury 18 of the free throws for a clip of 64.3%. In terms of shooting from beyond the arc, Tennessee made 7 of their 18 tries (38.9%). When the game finished, the Volunteers went 29 out of 53 from the floor which had them sitting at 54.7%. The Volunteers permitted Louisville to make 22 of their 58 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.9% for the game. They finished shooting 20.6% from three-point range by connecting on 7 of 34 and walked away from this one shooting 11 out of 18 at the free throw line (61.1%). When discussing team rebounding, Tennessee permitted Louisville to grab 22 overall (6 on the offensive side).

Ja'Kobi Gillespie ended up being a factor for the Volunteers for this contest. He knocked down 5 out of 12 for the game for a field goal rate of 41.7%, and tallied 3 rebounds. He scored 23 points in his 34 mins of playing time and added 5 assists in this contest.

Tennessee has a win-loss record of 8-3 this year. The Volunteers commit 17.9 personal fouls every game and they shoot 71.7% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 18.8 times per game (23rd in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per contest. Tennessee has scored 892 points for the campaign (81.1 per game) and they pull down 42.5 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Volunteers are shooting 47.5% from the floor, which has them ranked 93rd in D-1.

The Tennessee defense allows 28.6% on shots from behind the 3-point line (83 of 290) and their opposition knocks down 67.4% of their foul shots. They have conceded 10.3 dimes and 30.4 total boards per game, which is ranked 24th and 25th in those categories. The Volunteers defensively are ranked 32nd in college in points given up per game with 65.6. They are able to force 12.7 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 38.4% from the field (22nd in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tennessee

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