Halftime Report
Tennessee is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 22-21 lead against Virginia.
Tennessee entered the matchup having won four straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it five, or will Virginia step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Tennessee Volunteers @ Virginia Cavaliers
Current Records: Tennessee 4-0, Virginia 3-0
How To Watch
What to Know
The Tennessee Volunteers will face off against the Virginia Cavaliers at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Baha Mar Convention Center. Both teams are still undefeated (the Volunteers have four wins , while the Cavaliers have three).
Tennessee is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They put a hurting on Austin Peay to the tune of 103-68 on Sunday. The Volunteers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 22 points or more this season.
Tennessee relied on the efforts of Igor Milicic Jr., who almost dropped a double-double on 23 points and nine rebounds, and Zakai Zeigler, who went 7 for 8 en route to 19 points plus eight assists. What’s more, Zeigler also posted a 87.5% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in January. Another player making a difference was Jordan Gainey, who scored 15 points.
Tennessee was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Austin Peay only posted ten.
Meanwhile, Virginia earned a 70-60 win over Villanova on Friday.
Among those leading the charge was Isaac McKneely, who made all 6 shots he took from beyond the arc racking up 23 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Andrew Rohde, who went 5 for 8 en route to 13 points.
Tennessee’s victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-0. As for Virginia, their win bumped their record up to 3-0.
Thursday’s match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Tennessee has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 41.6% of their threes per game. However, it’s not like Virginia struggles in that department as they’ve nailed 44.6% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Looking forward, Tennessee shouldn’t be too worried about this matchup, as the experts have them favored by 12.5 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’ve covered the spread the last three times they’ve played.
Odds
Tennessee is a big 12.5-point favorite against Virginia, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Volunteers, as the game opened with the Volunteers as a 10.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 125.5 points.
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