The Tennessee Volunteers (33-12) travel to face off against the Houston Cougars (42-4) on Sunday, March 30th. This game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and televised on CBS. Houston is coming off a win in their previous game, while Tennessee is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Florida. Tip-off is set for 2:20 ET.

Tennessee Volunteers vs Houston Cougars

The Volunteers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Tennessee Volunteers Recent Game/Games

The Volunteers fell to 33-12 on the season after an 86-77 road loss to the Gators on Sunday. Tennessee entered the game as +5 underdogs and didn’t cover the spread.

After trailing 39-30 at halftime, the Vols scored 47 points in the 2nd half but couldn’t slow down Florida, who also put up 47. The game’s total points of 163 went over the pre-game O/U line of 142.5.

The Cougars Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Houston Cougars Recent Game/Games

Houston improved to 42-4 this season with a 72-64 win over Arizona on Saturday, March 15th. The Cougars, who were -5.5 favorites, covered the spread. The game’s total points (136) fell just under the O/U line of 138.

Houston trailed 33-28 at halftime but turned things around in the 2nd half, outscoring Arizona 44-31 to secure the win.

Volunteers Offense Breakdown

In their latest game, the Volunteers put up 77 points, shooting 44.9% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 53.1%. They connected on 60.9% of their two-point attempts, but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 30.8% on 8-of-26 shooting. At the free-throw line, Tennessee made 25-of-32, good for 78.1%.

Zakai Zeigler was a standout, hitting 4-of-7 from three-point range and finishing with 23 points and 8 assists. Jordan Gainey led the team with 24 points, despite shooting 2-of-8 from deep. Walter Clayton Jr. added 22 points, knocking down 4 threes on 11 attempts.

Cougars Offense Breakdown

In their last game, the Cougars put up 72 points, shooting 42.6% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 49.2%. They hit 39.1% from beyond the arc, connecting on 9 of 23 attempts, and were nearly perfect at the free-throw line, making 11 of 12 shots (91.7%).

Milos Uzan led the way with 25 points, shooting 4 of 6 from three-point range. Caleb Love added 19 points, though he struggled from deep, hitting just 2 of 9 attempts. The Cougars finished with 9 offensive rebounds and 7 assists as a team.

Volunteers Team Defense

Despite Tennessee’s defensive efforts, they gave up 86 points, allowing the opposing team to shoot 42% from the field. The Volunteers conceded 17 two-point baskets on 34 attempts, with their opponents hitting 50% of their shots inside the arc.

From three-point range, Tennessee’s defense allowed 9 made threes on 27 attempts, a 33% shooting performance. They also sent the opposing team to the free-throw line 28 times, where they converted 25 free throws, shooting 89%. Tennessee gave up 15 offensive rebounds in the game.

Cougars Team Defense

Even with Tennessee holding them to 42% shooting, the Volunteers couldn’t keep their opponent from scoring 86 points. They went 26/61 from the field, including 17/34 on two-point attempts.

From beyond the arc, Tennessee’s opponent shot 33%, hitting 9 of their 27 three-point attempts. They also made the most of their free-throw opportunities, going 25/28 for 89%.

Volunteers vs Cougars Trends

• In their last three games away from home, the Volunteers have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 74 points per game in this stretch.
• Houston has played well in their previous three home games, going 3-0 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 71 points per game while allowing 62. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
• Through their last five games as the betting underdog, the Volunteers have a strong record vs the spread going 3-2. Their straight up mark in these contests is 2-3.
• The Cougars have played well in their last five games as the betting favorite, going 5-0 straight up and 3-2 against the spread.

Volunteers vs Cougars Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Cougars to win, and have the projected score sitting at 80-67. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Cougars at -3.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 123.5, and our model predicts the Volunteers and Cougars to score a combined 147 points. We recommend betting on the over.

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.