The Illinois Fighting Illini (7-1) travel to face off against the Tennessee Volunteers (5-3) on Saturday, December 9th. This game will be played at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville and televised on CBS. Illinois is coming off a win in their previous game, while Tennessee is looking to get back on track from a loss to the North Carolina. Tip-off is set for 12:00 ET.

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Tennessee Volunteers

The Illinois Fighting Illini Are Coming Off A Win

After defeating Rutgers by a score of 76-58, Illinois now boasts a 7-1 record. Over their last ten road games, including those from last year, Illinois is 4-6. As of today’s game, Illinois holds a 3-4 record against the spread. However, in their previous five games, they have been solid at 4-1 vs. the spread.

In eight games, Illinois comes in with an over/under mark of 2-5-0, with their games averaging 136.1 points per game. The Fighting Illini’s last five games have culminated with an average of 150 points per game and an over/under record of 3-2.

The Tennessee Volunteers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Heading into their 9th game of the season, Tennessee currently holds a 5-3 overall record. In their last five home games, which date back to last year, Tennessee has a 4-1 record. Against the spread, Tennessee has a losing record at 3-4. When playing at home, Tennessee is 1-1 vs. the spread this year and 7-3 in their previous ten home games.

Looking at their over/under performance through eight games, Tennessee has an over/under record of 4-3-0, with their games averaging 143.3 points per game on average. When analyzing the Volunteers’ last five games, they have produced a combined average of 147 points per game and an over/under record of 3-2.

Illinois Offense Breakdown

In their recent game, the Fighting Illini’s offense concluded with 76 points, consistent with their ongoing season average of 80.1 points per contest. Terrence Shannon Jr. led the team in scoring, putting up 23 points. Additionally, Marcus Domask contributed 15 points for the Fighting Illini.

Name	PPG	REB	AST
Terrence Shannon Jr. (G)	21.6	4.0	2.8
Marcus Domask (F)	12.1	5.2	1.9
Dain Dainja (F)	8.8	4.6	0.2

Tennessee Offense Breakdown

The Tennessee offense is coming off a game where they scored 92 points against North Carolina. They posted a field goal percentage of 55.6% and connected on 9 threes. The team’s top scorer is Dalton Knecht, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 19, while Josiah-Jordan James also maintains a PPG average of 11.4 leading up to the game.

Name	PPG	REB	AST
Dalton Knecht (G)	19.0	4.6	1.9
Josiah-Jordan James (G)	11.4	6.6	1.6
Jordan Gainey (G)	11.0	2.2	1.8

Illinois Team Defense

So far, the Fighting Illini’s defense is ranked 25th in the country at 62.4 points per contest. Against Rutgers in their most recent game, the Illinois defense gave up a total of 58 points while allowing Rutgers to hit 33% of their shots.

Tennessee Team Defense

In the current season, the Tennessee defense has excelled, sitting 76th in the nation by allowing 66.9 points per game. Against North Carolina in their most recent game, the Tennessee defense gave up a total of 100 points while allowing North Carolina to hit 45% of their shots.

Fighting Illini vs Volunteers Trends

• In their last three road games, Illinois has averaged 70 points per game while allowing 69. The team’s record in this stretch was 1-2 while going 2-1.
• Across the Volunteers last ten home games, the team averaged 69 points per game while allowing 72. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 2-8, while going 2-8 straight-up.
• Illinois has done well both straight up and vs the spread as the underdog, going 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three games.
• Tennessee has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS in their last three games.

Fighting Illini vs Volunteers Prediction

For a point-spread bet in this Volunteers vs. Volunteers matchup, we’re leaning towards the Volunteers at -6. Although our projections show the Volunteers winning 73-71, we suggest placing your bet on the Fighting Illini for the point-spread.

As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 146, and our model projects the Fighting Illini and Volunteers to reach a combined total of 144 points. Our bet is on taking the under.

---

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

---

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.