Arizona Wildcats vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 12/22/2021 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Arizona Wildcats vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Location: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN

TV: ESPN2

The Tennessee Volunteers (8-2) are welcoming the Arizona Wildcats (11-0) at Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday.

The Arizona Wildcats stepped onto the hardwood against California Baptist and walked away with a win by a score of 84-60 in their last contest. Arizona finished the game having earned a 50.8% FG percentage (33 of 65) and knocked down 9 out of their 22 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Wildcats converted 9 of 13 attempts for a rate of 69.2%. When it comes to hauling in boards, they collected a total of 42 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 21 dimes in this contest while forcing 10 turnovers and earning 5 steals. With regard to defending, Arizona allowed their opponent to shoot 33.3% from the floor on 24 out of 72 shooting. California Baptist earned 12 dimes and had 3 steals for this contest. Additionally, California Baptist pulled down 24 rebounds (7 offensive, 17 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. California Baptist walked away from this one shooting 66.7% from the free throw line by making 4 of their 6 attempts. They converted 8 out of their 27 attempts from beyond the arc. In regard to fouls, the Wildcats ended up walking away with 13 and California Baptist racked up 12 fouls.

Christian Koloko is one player who came through for this contest. He totaled 12 points on 5 out of 8 shooting. He played for 24 minutes and grabbed 10 boards. He went 62.5% from the field and distributed 3 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Today

Arizona heads into this matchup with a record of 11-0 on the campaign. They turn it over 12.5 times per game and as a team they commit 16.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Arizona is grabbing 44.4 boards per game and has accounted for 240 dimes this year, which is 1st in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Wildcats are shooting 34.8% on 3-pointers (94 of 270) and 72.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 91.0 pts per contest (1st in the country) while connecting on 49.7% from the field.

On defense, the Wildcats are able to force 16.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.5 fouls. They are 84th in college hoops in giving up assists with 118 relinquished on the campaign. The Wildcats defense is giving up a FG percentage of 36.1% (251 of 695) and they concede 32.9 boards per game as a squad. They are giving up 31.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 71st in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (62.8).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Tennessee Volunteers walked away with a victory by a final of 96-52 when they faced USC Upstate. When discussing rebounding, Tennessee allowed USC Upstate to get 27 in all (8 offensive). They finished 27.3% from downtown by hitting 6 out of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 6 of 13 from the charity stripe (46.2%). The Volunteers allowed USC Upstate to bury 20 out of their 55 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 36.4% for the contest. In all, the Volunteers went 38 for 68 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 55.9%. With regard to three-point attempts, Tennessee buried 11 of their 25 attempts (44.0%). They were able to bury 9 of the free throws for a percentage of 56.3%. USC Upstate earned 18 fouls for this contest which got the Volunteers to the charity stripe for a total of 16 attempts. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while earning 15 steals for this contest. The Volunteers were able to corral 28 defensive boards and 15 offensive boards totaling 43 for the contest.

Olivier Nkamhoua pitched in for the Volunteers in this game. He had 21 points in his 21 mins on the court and had 1 assist for the game. He converted 9 out of 10 in the game for a field goal rate of 90.0%, and had 8 rebounds.

Tennessee has a record of 8-2 on the year. As an offensive team, the Volunteers are hitting on 45.8% from the floor, which is ranked 111th in college basketball. Tennessee has totaled 785 pts so far this season (78.5 per game) and they grab 38.8 boards per contest. They are getting an assist 19.3 times per contest (6th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.7 times per game. The Volunteers commit 15.0 fouls per contest and they shoot 69.0% from the free throw line.

The Volunteers are ranked 17th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 57.9. They are forcing 17.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 38.0% from the floor (25th in college basketball). The Tennessee defense allows 30.7% from downtown (65 of 212) and their opponents are connecting on 67.1% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 10.3 assists and 33.9 rebounds per contest, which ranks 54th and 140th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Arizona

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here