TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (16-11, 6-6 in SEC)

at VANDERBILT COMMODORES (20-6, 8-4 in SEC)

Tip-off: Tuesday, 9:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Vanderbilt -6.5, Total: 143

No. 18 Vanderbilt is aiming for its sixth straight victory when it hosts in-state rival Tennessee on Tuesday night.

The Commodores are led by John Jenkins (19.9 PPG, 42.3% three-pointers), the top scorer in SEC play, who recovered from a slow start with a strong second half in Vanderbilt’s 77-60 win at Auburn on Saturday. Jenkins only had six points on 2-of-8 shooting in the first half, but scored 16 second-half points to finish with 22 points for his 25th double-figure game this season. He compiled his fourth-straight 20-point game and seventh in the past eight contests. Jeffery Taylor (14.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 38.9% three-pointers) added his second double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Tigers. The Commodores made 11 of their first 17 shots in the second half after shooting just 36% in the first half. Vanderbilt ranks 23rd in the nation in scoring (77.6 PPG) and has reached at least 77 points in four of the five games during its winning streak. Basketball lines.

Tennessee has dropped four of its past five games and is coming off a 69-63 setback to Georgia on Saturday. The Vols shot just 28.1% (9-of-32) in the first half, and 41.7% (25-of-60) for the game. Scotty Hopson (17.4 PPG, 39.1% three-pointers) was one of the few bright spots offensively, as he scored a career-high 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting, which marked his third consecutive game with at least 22 points. Tobias Harris (14.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG) chipped in with 18 points versus the Bulldogs. Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt, 67-64, in Knoxville in January. In that game, the Vols overcame a 17-point deficit by forcing a season-high 21 turnovers, including 12 steals. Hopson led the Vols with 16 points against Vandy, while Harris added 15 points and nine rebounds.

The Commodores own a 51-36 advantage in games played in Nashville, and won last season’s matchup at Memorial Gym, 90-71. While Tennessee has won six of the past 10 meetings in the series, Vanderbilt is 3-2 against the Vols in the past five contests. Tennessee is 18-9 ATS versus the Commodores, including 9-4 ATS at Vanderbilt since 1997. The Vols are also 5-2 ATS as an underdog this year, while Vandy is just 4-6 ATS as a home favorite. Vanderbilt will probably win the game, but Tennessee, which has seven losses by less than six points this season, will keep the final margin under 6.5 points. Basketball betting lines.

The FoxSheets provide two more trends backing the Vols to cover the spread.

VANDERBILT is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) after scoring 30 points or less in the first half in 2 straight games over the last 3 seasons. The average score was VANDERBILT 70.9, OPPONENT 72.1 – (Rating = 2*).

TENNESSEE is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road games after failing to cover the spread in 2 or more consecutive games over the last 3 seasons. The average score was TENNESSEE 71.2, OPPONENT 63.3 – (Rating = 1*).

Nine of the past 13 meetings in this series have finished Under the total and these two four-star FoxSheets coaching trends also expect the Under to occur again.

Bruce Pearl is 18-4 UNDER (81.8%, +13.6 Units) vs. good free throw shooting teams – making >=72% of their attempts after 15+ games as the coach of TENNESSEE. The average score was TENNESSEE 70.0, OPPONENT 67.9 – (Rating = 4*). Odds.

Bruce Pearl is 9-0 UNDER (+9.0 Units) versus good foul drawing teams – attempting >=25 free throws/game after 15+ games as the coach of TENNESSEE. The average score was TENNESSEE 66.7, OPPONENT 66.7 – (Rating = 4*).