East Tennessee State vs Tennessee Odds and Picks (Nov. 14)
- The Tennessee Volunteers are 16.5-point favorites over the East Tennessee State Buccaneers in an NCAA men’s basketball game slated for Sunday, November 14
- Ranked #18 in the nation, the Volunteers are 1-0 on the season
- The Buccaneers dropped their season opener and are 0-1 — see who we like below
The Tennessee Volunteers will be looking to continue to cut a swath through the ranks of the state’s schools as they play host to the East Tennessee State Buccaneers on Sunday.
The 18th-ranked Vols got their 2021-22 season off to a winning start. Tennessee drubbed UT Martin 90-62 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers missed a buzzer beater and fell 69-67 on the road to the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
Tennesse is established by oddsmakers as the 16.5-point home favorite in this game. The Vols are 10-0 straight up in their last 10 games against the Buccaneers.
East Tennessee State vs #18 Tennessee Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State Buccaneers | +1280 | +16.5 (-105) | O 136.5 (-106) |
| Tennessee Volunteers | -4000 | -16.5 (-115) | U 136.5 (-114) |
Odds as of November 13th at FanDuel.
The tipoff for Sunday afternoon’s game at Thompson-Boling Arena is set for 12pm ET.
Tennessee Volunteers Betting Trends
Defense is the name of the game for the Vols. They’re ranked #7 in the nation in defensive efficiency in the KenPom ratings.
Against UT Martin, Tennessee was also displaying an impressive level of balance to the team’s offensive output. Four players hit for double digits on the scoring charts.
Both returning veteran Santiago Vescovi and five-star freshman Kennedy Chandler were pacing the attack. Each scored 20 points. Auburn transfer Justin Powell delivered 13 points in his Volunteers debut. In his first career start, junior forward Olivier Nkamhoua contributed a double double. He scored 11 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.
Tennessee was also lighting it up from long range. The Vols hit 17-of-40 from beyond that arc. That’s 42.5% and also a program single-game record for threes made. Vescovi made a career-high-tying six 3-pointers. Chandler was a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc.
Tennessee’s 23 offensive rebounds Tuesday were its most since January 2, 2016, when the Vols also grabbed 23 at Auburn.
East Tennessee State Betting Trends
It will be a short turnaround for the Buccaneers, who played at Appalachian State on Friday night. Though they suffered a loss, the Bucs gave a good accounting of themselves on the road. They covered the spread as 2.5-point underdogs.
East Tennessee State shot 41.9% from the field. The Buccaneers only committed seven turnovers during the game. The game featured nine lead changes and 10 ties.
A look back at Ledarrius Brewer's (@LA_NO_CALI) first dunk of the 2021-22 season with the radio call from @ETSUBucsVoice!#DRRE | #ETSUTough pic.twitter.com/Lievn319Ct
— ETSU Men's Basketball (@ETSU_MBB) November 13, 2021
Four East Tennessee State players hit for double digits in points. Guard David Sloan led the way with 15 points. Sloan also dished out a career-high eight assists. Fellow guard Ledarrius Brewer netted 13 points and forward Ty Brewer contributed 12 points. Forward Vonnie Patterson was good for 11 points.
The Buccaneers list six Division I transfers on their roster. First-year East Tennessee coach Desmond Oliver spent the past six seasons as an assistant on the staff of Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes.
East Tennessee State-Tennessee Prediction
Tennessee hasn’t lost to East Tennessee State since 1991. The Vols own a 16-2 edge in the all-time series. This is the first renewal of the rivalry since a 72-68 Tennessee road victory on December 22, 2016. Tennessee is 3-0 against East Tennessee State when ranked in the top 25.
Tennessee coach Barnes is 21-5 against in-state opposition, including six straight wins. He’s 2-0 against East Tennessee State. The Vols are 95-17 all-time against Southern Conference schools.
You knew this video was coming. RT anyway. pic.twitter.com/Cb1iemHnYr
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) November 10, 2021
The Buccaneers have posted four wins over Power 5 schools in the past seven years. However, East Tennessee State hasn’t beaten a ranked team since since defeating No. 10 Arizona 87-80 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20, 1992. The Buccaneers are 0-28 when facing ranked teams in the 10,832 days that have elapsed since that victory.
The Volunteers are riding an eight-game win streak in regular-season non-conference action — 1-0 this season and 7-0 last season. Each of the last six Tennessee-East Tennessee State games were decided by 12 points or less. Five of the last six meetings have been decided by 10 points or less and three by five points or less.
Pick: East Tennessee State +16.5 (-105).
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
