Newly-ranked Georgia gets rewarded with a road test against one of the best teams in the country when it hits the road to face Tennessee tonight.
The Vols lost their No. 1 ranking when they had one of the worst shooting nights in the program's history against Florida, but rebounded by beating Texas on the road.
Read on for my Georgia vs. Tennessee predictions and college basketball picks for Wednesday, January 15, and see why I'm not sold on the upstart Bulldogs.
Georgia vs Tennessee prediction
My best bet
Tennessee -12 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
This spread was immediately hit in one direction at the open, and that was the Tennessee Volunteers' way. It's not difficult to understand why, either.
Head coach Rick Barnes has dominated Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mike White through stints at multiple programs. The Vols have dominated Georgia overall, winning six of the last seven matchups. Even though this has moved some from the opener, I still see value with Tennessee, and I'm grabbing them at -12 for my best bet.
The historical lack of shooting for Tennessee against Florida was, in some ways, inevitable. If you followed ShotQuality throughout the year, you'd know that the Vols were shooting at an unsustainable rate from deep, which was bound to come crashing down at some point. It did in speculator fashion. However, the beauty of this matchup is that the Vols can overcome poor shooting even if it reappears here because of its backboard advantage.
Tennessee has a Top 10 offensive rebounding rate, and they'll see a Georgia defense that ranks about average on the defensive glass. The Bulldogs rank eighth on the offensive glass, and the Vols are average on the season regarding defensive rebounding. However, there's one big caveat: In home games this season for Tennessee, that average defensive rebounding percentage jumps to a Top 50 mark.
Elsewhere, I 'm concerned about how this Georgia offense will function in a hostile environment. It's already been playing in some rock fights, relying on an excessively high free-throw rate to manufacture points.
Beyond the notable SEC whistle being quite unfavorable to some road teams so far this season, the Vols, in general, aren't a team that fouls a lot. They'll come into this game ranking 18th in foul rate. That screams to be multiple spurts of scoreless droughts for Georgia. If that happens, Tennessee will have an array of offensive weapons in Chaz Lanier, Zakai Zeigler, and Jordan Gainey to blow them off the court.
Georgia vs Tennessee same-game parlay (SGP)
Tennessee -12
Silas Demary Jr. Under 10.5 points
I kept this simple and paired a Georgia player's points Under with my best bet.
Curiously, this number has stayed the same for much of the season. Silas Demary Jr. is one of Georgia's most free-throw-reliant players, getting nearly five free throws per game. Given my expectation of fouls being heavily reduced, it stands to reason that I'd take his Under.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Georgia vs Tennessee odds
Georgia vs Tennessee live odds
Georgia vs Tennessee opening odds
- Spread: Georgia +11 | Tennessee -11
- Moneyline: Georgia +425 | Tennessee -575
- Over/Under: Over 134.5 | Under 134.5
Odds courtesy of bet365.
Georgia vs Tennessee betting trend to know
Tennessee has hit the team total Under in 23 of its last 36 games (+8.15 Units / 20% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Georgia vs. Tennessee.
How to watch Georgia vs Tennessee
| Location: | Food City Center, Knoxville, TN |
| Date: | Tuesday, 1-15-2025 |
| Tip-off: | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | SEC Network |
Georgia vs Tennessee key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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