Kansas squares off with Tennessee in the crown jewel of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The best game of the week is set to take place in Knoxville tonight to cap off the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. No. 15 Kansas hits the road to take on No. 18 Tennessee in a matchup of preseason Final Four contenders who have hit some stumbling blocks of late.
Widely expected to be fighting with Baylor for Big 12 supremacy, the Jayhawks hit a rough patch in the middle of conference play. An ill-timed three-game losing streak sent Kansas out of the Top 10 but Bill Self’s team managed to stop the bleeding with a tight 59-51 win over TCU earlier this week.
The big problem for the Jayhawks is that they haven’t found somebody who can truly step up and fill the massive shoes that Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike left after going pro. Five-star freshman Bryce Thompson hasn’t starred, playing only 17 minutes a game and averaging 5.1 points per night, while highly-touted juco transfer Tyon Grant-Foster has been a bit player in Kansas’ rotation.
Tennessee has been steadier but still hit a few roadblocks last week, dropping games against Florida and Missouri before bouncing back to nip Mississippi State by three. The key to success for the Volunteers has been their rugged defense, featuring reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons, which limits opponents to just 59.3 points per game.
The key to this matchup will be if Kansas can find a way to put up a strong offensive performance against Tennessee’s defense. The Jayhawks have much more firepower than the Volunteers so whoever wins that matchup should end up winning the game.
How to bet and watch Kansas at Tennessee
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 30
- Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Knoxville, TN
- Venue: Thompson-Boling Arena
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Line: Tennessee -2.5 (FanDuel)
- Prediction: Tennessee 66, Kansas 64
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