Tennessee Volunteers vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 2/18/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tennessee Volunteers vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023

Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

TV: ESPN+

Rupp Arena is the location where the Kentucky Wildcats (17-9) will try to beat the Tennessee Volunteers (20-6) on Saturday.

The Tennessee Volunteers played Alabama and notched a win by a score of 68-59 in their last game. Tennessee finished the game with a 36.5% FG percentage (23 of 63) and knocked down 6 of their 23 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Volunteers made 16 of 25 tries for a rate of 64.0%. In reference to getting rebounds, they collected 33 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 16 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 19 turnovers and earning 11 steals. In regard to defense, Tennessee let their opponent shoot 35.4% from the field on 17 of 48 shooting. Alabama doled out 11 dimes and had 3 steals in this contest. Furthermore, Alabama totaled 40 boards (7 offensive, 33 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Alabama finished the game at 80.0% when shooting free throws by converting 16 of their 20 attempts. They also buried 9 of 24 tries from 3-point range. With respect to personal fouls, the Volunteers finished with 18 and Alabama recorded 21 personal fouls.

Jonas Aidoo is a player who was important for the matchup. He accumulated 12 points on 6 out of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 27 mins and also totaled 11 boards. He finished the game shooting 54.5% from the floor but had no assists when the game ended.

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Tennessee comes into this one with a mark of 20-6 for the year. They turn it over 12.3 times per game and as a team are committing 16.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Tennessee is grabbing 39.9 rebounds per game and has tallied 437 assists on the year, which is 14th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Volunteers are hitting 32.7% from downtown (200 of 612) and 72.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 72.3 points per game (163rd in the nation) while going 43.0% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Volunteers are able to force 15.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.3 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 6th in the country in giving up assists with 240 surrendered on the year. The Volunteers defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 35.5% (490 of 1,380) and they relinquish 32.2 boards per contest as a squad. They give up 24.7% from beyond the arc while they are 3rd in D-1 in PPG allowed (56.4).

The last time they took the court, the Kentucky Wildcats walked away with a victory by a final of 71-68 when they faced Mississippi State. When it comes to cleaning the glass, Kentucky permitted Mississippi State to get 22 in all (7 offensive). They finished shooting 30.0% from three-point range by going 6 of 20 and finished the contest at 14 of 19 at the free throw line (73.7%). The Wildcats allowed Mississippi State to bury 24 of 48 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 50.0% for the matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Wildcats ended up shooting 25 for 55 from the floor which had them shooting 45.5%. When discussing shots from 3-point land, Kentucky converted 6 out of their 20 attempts (30.0%). They were able to bury 15 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 75.0%. Mississippi State was called for 18 personal fouls in the game which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 20 attempts. They gave up possession 9 times, while recording 7 steals for the contest. The Wildcats were able to snag 19 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive boards totaling 33 in this game.

Oscar Tshiebwe ended up being a major contributor for the Wildcats for the contest. He tallied 18 points in his 32 mins on the hardwood and accounted for 2 assists for this game. He converted 7 of 13 for the game giving him a rate of 53.8%, and had 11 rebounds.

Kentucky has a win-loss mark of 17-9 on the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Wildcats are connecting on 45.6% from the floor, which ranks 121st in Division 1. Kentucky has accumulated 1,941 points on the season (74.7 per contest) and they collect 38.2 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 16.0 times per contest (24th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.4 times per contest. The Wildcats have committed 15.8 fouls per game and they connect on 69.7% from the charity stripe.

The Kentucky defense concedes 33.1% on 3-point attempts (166 of 501) and their opposition makes 76.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 12.0 assists and 30.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 125th and 12th in those categories. The Wildcats on the defensive side of the court are 131st in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 68.0. They are forcing 11.7 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 43.5% from the floor (182nd in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tennessee

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