Memphis a 6-Point Underdog at Tennessee; Early Money Goes on Vols

• The #19 Volunteers welcome #13 Memphis to Thompson-Boling Arena as six-point favorites on Saturday (Dec. 14)
• Tennessee has won 31 straight games on its home court
• Memphis is 6-0 since star freshman James Wiseman was suspended

No. 13 Memphis (8-1, 1-1 away) is a six-point underdog against No. 19 Tennessee (7-1, 5-0 home) as the in-state rivals get set to meet at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday (Dec. 14) in Knoxville.

The Memphis vs Tennessee odds opened with the Vols as a five-point favorite and the line went up almost immediately.

#13 Memphis at #19 Tennessee Odds

Odds taken Dec. 13.

Memphis is on a six-game winning streak since losing to Oregon on Nov 12 in a quasi-away game in Portland. The Tigers are 5-3 against the spread this season, including 1-1 as an underdog.

Tennessee (7-1) puts the longest active home winning streak in Division I on the line. The Volunteers have won 31 games in a row at Thompson-Boling Arena, dating to Jan. 2, 2018.

The atmosphere at Thompson Boling Arena will be electric tomorrow pic.twitter.com/WmvyH2fTSD

— Angry Vol Mob (@angryvolmob) December 13, 2019

Since taking its only loss of the season to Florida State on Nov. 29 in the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla., Tennessee has won back-to-back games. It is 4-4 ATS this season but has been the wrong side in three of the last four games.

In a season where parity has reigned, both teams are considered title contenders as evidenced by the latest 2020 NCAA tournament odds.

Tigers Winning Without Wiseman

This will mark the seventh game James Wiseman’s 11-game suspension from the NCAA for taking impermissible benefit. The Tigers’ star center was considered the top recruit in the country last winter and could be the first pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

However, the Tigers have gone 6-0 without Wiseman as two other freshmen, Precious Achiuwa and D.J. Jeffries, have shined this season. Achiuwa is averaging 13.9 points and 9.4 rebounds a game and Jeffries has a 12.0 scoring average.

In his three games, Wiseman had averages of 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots.

Freshman guard Lester Quinones has missed the last three games after breaking his hand and is also likely to sit this game out. He is scoring 10.3 points a game.

Turner is Tennessee’s Leader

While Memphis is freshmen-laded thanks to coach Anfernee Hardaway landing the best recruiting class in the country, senior point guard Lamonte Turner is Tennessee’s unquestioned leader.

Turner is fifth in the nation with 7.6 assists per game, while also averaging 13.8 points and 2.0 steals.

He has a flair for the dramatic.

Senior guard Jordan Bowden (13.9) leads a balanced scoring attack that also has junior wing Yyes Pom (12.6) and junior forward John Fulkerson (11.4).

Coach Rick Barnes’ teams are usually strong defensively and this season’s version is no exception. No team has shot better than 41.1 percent from the floor against the Vols this season and they are holding opponents to 36.5 percent overall, the 14th-best mark in the nation.

A Tale of Two Tempos

This game will be a contrast in styles, not surprisingly considering the makeup of the teams’ rosters.

Memphis’ young guns like to play at a fast pace and run the floor. Tennessee and its seasoned vets play much slower and try to make it a half-court game.

Here are how the teams stack up in some of the advanced statistical categories at KenPom.com

Will Tempers Flare?

The teams met for the first time in six years last season and Tennessee posted a 102-92 win as an eight-point favorite in what was a contentious game at the FedEx Forum in Memphis that featured 57 personal fouls and two technicals. Tennessee won the up-tempo 79-possession game by making 51.9 percent of its field goals.

Things got so chippy that Barnes and the Volunteers have decided to end the series after next season.

It is difficult to see the Volunteers winning that type of game this season. All signs point to a veteran Tennessee team beating a young Memphis team to keep its home winning streak intact.

However, the Tigers’ precocious freshmen should keep the game close.

The pick: Memphis +6 (-105)