Tennessee scored arguably its best win of the SEC season with a road win at Texas A&M on Saturday to bolster its NCAA Tournament standing.
Now, can the Vols avoid a letdown against LSU on Tuesday night on the road? Tennessee will face the SEC bottom dweller before returning home for the final push of SEC play that includes a Saturday matchup with Alabama in a potential No. 1 seed elimination game.
Before we look ahead, let’s see if LSU can keep up with Tennessee’s top-ranked defense with our betting preview.
Spread
Moneyline
Total: 136.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Tennessee
Zakai Zeigler: Zeigler has been on a tear since returning from a one-game absence against Florida, averaging over 18 points per game with nearly eight assists while giving the Vols a reliable free throw creator on offense and providing elite on-ball defense.
LSU
Cam Carter: In the Tigers’ three SEC wins this season there is a common theme, Carter goes off. The Kansas State transfer has averaged 24 points per game in the team’s wins in league play, even if few and far between. He will have his hands full with an elite Tennessee defense in the Bayou on Tuesday night.
I’m a bit wary of trusting Tennessee on the road laying this many points given the tricky scheduling spot for the Vols with Alabama on deck Saturday back at home.
However, I do believe the Vols defense should dominate this matchup against LSU’s offense. The Vols are the best defense in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric and can coax LSU into inefficient jump shots, which has been a weak point for the roster all year. The Tigers are 289th in three-point percentage and reliant on getting to the rim, which Tennessee shuts off as good as any team in the country, ranking top 20 in three-point rate allowed.
On the other side of the floor, LSU may struggle to keep up with the Vols on the glass, but Tennessee is more than willing to slow this game down, ranking bottom 25 in the country in adjusted tempo this season.
I think this game devolves into a defensive struggle quickly and Tennessee does enough to get the win, but in a low-scoring battle.
PICK: UNDER 136.5 (-105, available at FanDuel Sportsbook)
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