The Tennessee Volunteers take on the Virginia Cavaliers in Nassau, Bahamas as part of the Bahamas Championship. Tip-off is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Tennessee is favored by 12 points on the spread with a moneyline of -675. The total is set at 125.5 points.
Here’s my Virginia vs Tennessee predictions and college basketball picks for November 21, 2024.
Tennessee vs Virginia Prediction
My Pick: Tennessee -12
My Tennessee vs Virginia best bet is on the Volunteers spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Tennessee vs Virginia Odds
| Tennessee Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12 -110 | 125.5 -110o / -110u | -675 |
| Virginia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -110 | 125.5 -110o / -110u | +490 |
- Tennessee vs Virginia spread: Tennessee -12
- Tennessee vs Virginia over/under: 125.5 points
- Tennessee vs Virginia moneyline: Tennessee -675, Virginia +490
- Tennessee vs Virginia best bet: Tennessee -12
Spread
I certainly liked this bet more at the opening number of Tennessee -10.5, yet still, I'll take the Vols at 12 or 12.5.
Moneyline
It's hard to find value on the Volunteers as such a heavy favorite.
Over/Under
This total, like any Virginia game, is set low. Tennessee should be able to score, yet might really suffocate Virginia's offense. I'm staying away from a bet here.
My Pick: Tennessee -12
Tennessee vs Virginia College Basketball Betting Preview
Tennessee Basketball
The Vols rode graduate transfer Dalton Knecht’s All-American season to the Elite Eight last season. His departure to the NBA left a huge hole in the Vols' roster, but to date this season, Rick Barnes’ work in the offseason has looked to keep the Vols among the nation’s best.
That work started with the underrated secret of modern college basketball – returning your own players year after year. Contributors throughout the roster came back to Knoxville, none more important than Zakai Zeigler, one of the best point guards in the country.
Transfers like Ohio State’s Felix Okpara and North Florida’s Chaz Lanier have picked up the scoring slack, sparking a red-hot start to the season for the Vols.
Tennessee has won each of its first four games by 16 or more points, catching the most eyeballs for a destruction of Louisville on the road. Throughout the game, the Vols looked a step quicker than the Cards, riding not just a huge shooting advantage in that game but also outrebounding Louisville 40-26.
Zeigler, as expected, has been fantastic operating the offense for Barnes. He’s averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 assists per game, and has made 10 of his last 15 3s after an 0-of-6 night in the season opener.
Virginia Basketball
When Tony Bennett retired in the days leading up to the season, the college basketball spotlight turned on the Hoos and new head coach Ron Sanchez. He was Bennett’s hand-picked successor, with his only head coaching experience at Charlotte not befitting the job he now steps into.
In the early days of the Sanchez era, Virginia has at least held serve. The schedule has not required much of the Cavaliers, starting with home dates against Campbell and Coppin State. Virginia dispatched both fairly easily before a neutral court date with Villanova in Baltimore.
In prior years, a game against Villanova would be a massive measuring stick for a program. Instead, Sanchez found himself facing the one coach in major college basketball with a bigger target on his back, the embattled Kyle Neptune, who, after two disappointing years at Villanova, had already lost to two mid-majors before meeting Virginia.
Sanchez and the Hoos took care of business and proved that the Bennett model of play would remain in Charlottesville.
So far, Virginia continues to play slowly while working for assisted buckets. It's also stuck with the Pack Line defense.
Third-year man Isaac McKneely has been the catalyst for the strong start, making 11-of-17 3s thus far, including a perfect 6-of-6 night in the win over Villanova.
Tennessee vs Virginia Betting Analysis
Virginia looks poised for some regression after its strong start, especially the performance against Villanova. The Hoos are hitting nearly 45% from long range, topped by McKneely soaring at 65% from outside the arc.
Against Villanova, while playing at a typically slow Virginia pace, the Cavaliers made 14 3s in just 63 total possessions.
Virginia has also faced poor shooting, with neither Villanova nor Coppin State hitting 30% from outside the arc. That number is key in every college basketball game, but especially when looking at the Hoos.
The Pack Line defense invites opposing teams to shoot from outside, preventing penetration and easy looks inside. Under Bennett and now Sanchez, Virginia has been content to allow jump shots.
Tennessee is more than happy to take those looks and is well-equipped to sink them. The Vols have shot well this season, yet aren’t as ripe for regression. In their last outing against Austin Peay, the Volunteers scored 103 points, with just five 3s on the ledger.
I expect Tennessee not just to shoot well but to bully Virginia in the paint and on the perimeter. The Vols are the better team at every level and shouldn’t have trouble separating from the Cavs.
