Tennessee basketball is back in action on Saturday night as they face Illinois in a top 15 matchup at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Vols have lost their last two games and are looking to bounce back while Illinois has not played in the last eight days since losing to UConn.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup from the broadcast details to the betting odds and much more.
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How to Watch — No. 13 Tennessee (7-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. No. 14 Illinois (6-2, 0-0 Big 10)
- Start Time: 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
- Location: Bridgestone Arena
- Watch: ESPN. PxP: Karl Ravech, CC: Jimmy Dykes
- Online Streaming: WatchESPN
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
- Vol Network radio crew: PxP: Mike Keith, CC: Chris Lofton
Betting Odds
- Tennessee -2.5 Syracuse
- Over/under 150.5
- Tennessee -2 Syracuse
- Over/under 152
Probable Starters
Tennessee (via UT Game Notes):
Illinois (via UI Game Notes)
Where They Land In Rankings
Tennessee:
- AP Poll: No. 13
- Coaches Poll: No. 13
- KenPom: No. 16
- Bart Torvik: No. 16
- EvanMiya: No. 15
Illinois:
- AP Poll: No. 14
- Coaches Poll: No. 15
- KenPom: No. 17
- Bart Torvik: No. 14
- EvanMiya: No. 18
Team Stats (via KenPom)
Tennessee:
Illinois:
Stat Leaders
Tennessee:
Points: Ja’Kobi Gillespie — 17.6 PPG, 43.1 FG%, 33.8 3PT%
Rebounds: Nate Ament — 7.4 RPG, 5.6 DRPG, 1.8 ORPG
Assists: Ja’Kobi Gillespie — 5.4 APG, 2.7 TOPG, 31.8 MPG
Illinois:
Points: Kylan Boswell — 17.3 PPG, 46.7 FG%, 31.7 3PT%
Rebounds: David Mirkovic — 10 RPG, 7.3 DRPG, 2.7 ORPG
Assists: Kylan Boswell — 3.9 APG, 1.5 TOPG, 31.6 MPG
Last Five Games
Tennessee:
- 62-60 loss at Syracuse
- 81-76 loss versus Kansas (Las Vegas)
- 76-73 win versus Houston (Las Vegas)
- 85-60 win versus Rutgers (Las Vegas)
- 89-60 win versus Tennessee State
Illinois:
- 74-61 loss against UConn (Boston)
- 87-73 win versus Rio Grande Valley
- 98-58 win versus Long Island
- 90-86 loss against Alabama (Chicago)
- 84-65 win versus Colgate
Prediction
I’ve gone back-and-forth on this matchup a lot. On one hand, Illinois is a great rebounding team and could control the game on the glass. At the very least, Tennessee is going to have fewer second chance opportunities than they typically do. Kansas was the previous best defensive rebounding team that Tennessee’s faced this season. When the Vols stopped making shots in the second half, they struggled to create second chance points.
The positive for Tennessee is that Illinois does not force turnovers at a very high clip. Tennessee’s offense has had bad turnover issues at times. They should be able to limit that issue against Illinois.
Illinois has an abundance of length inside that gives them a stout two-point defense. Can Tennessee hit some perimeter shots in this game? The Fighting Illini also have two really strong perimeter players. Will Tennessee be able to guard the ball better than they did in Las Vegas.
This one feels like a toss up, but I don’t love the matchup. I’ll take Illinois to win a close game.
Illinois 74, Tennessee 72
