Villanova vs Tennessee Odds and Picks (Nov. 20)

• #5 Villanova is a 2.5-point favorite over #17 Tennessee in the first round of the Hall of Fame Tipoff
• The winner advances to play #6 Purdue or #18 North Carolina in the championship game
• A look at the Villanova-Tennessee matchup and odds can be found below with a prediction

It will be a matchup of top-20 teams when #5 Villanova and #17 Tennessee meet at 1pm ET Saturday in the first round of the Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Both teams are coming off convincing home wins. Villanova (2-1) defeated Howard 100-81 on Tuesday while Tennessee (2-0) dispatched East Tennessee State 94-62 on Sunday.

Villanova is a small favorite in a game that will be televised by ESPNews.

The winner plays the winner of Saturday’s other first round game between #18 North Carolina (3-0) and #6 Purdue (3-0) in Sunday’s championship game. The two first-round losers meet in the consolation game.

Villanova vs Tennessee Odds

Odds as of November 19th at FanDuel.

Villanova Shows Great Balance

Villanova has four players averaging at least 16.0 points a game in the early going, led by junior guard Justin Moore. posting 19.0 points and 3.3 assists.

Moore scored 16 points against Howard.

Justin Moore making a statement with 2️⃣7️⃣ points in our home opener @YooJustoo | #HumbleAndHungry pic.twitter.com/3GPTAKhcnn

— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) November 11, 2021

Senior forward Brandon Slater topped Villanova in that win with a team-high 23 points as he made six of eight field goal attempts and was 4-for-4 at the foul line. That lifted his scoring average to 16.7.

Preseason All-American selection Collin Gillespie is averaging 17.3 points and 3.7 assists a game. The senior guard looks completely recovered from the knee injury he sustained late last season that prompted him to come back to Villanova for a fifth season and bypass the NBA Draft.

Against Howard, Gillespie drained five three-point field goal on his way to a 21-point outing.

Collin Gillespie over Johnny Juzang to give Nova the lead 💧 pic.twitter.com/3NkTjXeU90

— ESPN (@espn) November 13, 2021

Senior forward Jermaine Samuels had 11 points against the Bison but still has a 16.0 average.

Villanova shot 56.7% (30-of-53) from the floor and 46.7% (14-of-30) on three-point attempts against Howard. The Wildcats needed every bit of the hot shooting as Howard was also 30-of-53 and made 50.0% (12-of-24) of their tries from beyond the arc.

Villanova did not put the game away until a 13-0 run gave it an 81-60 lead with 8:32 left.

Nkamhoua Breakout Vols Star

Junior forward Olivier Nkamhoua has taken a major step forward in his third season at Tennessee, at least through the season’s first two games. He is averaging a double-double with 17.0 points and 11.0 rebounds a game.

This Olivier Nkamhoua sequence would have been unthinkable eight months ago. Incredible play pic.twitter.com/a9MhT1Nq0M

— Will Warren (@statsbywill) November 15, 2021

The native of Finland scored a career-high 23 points against East Tennessee State on 9-of-14 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds. He averaged just 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds last season.

Freshman guard Kennedy Chandler is living up the hype he created as a high school player, averaging 18.0 points and 5.0 assists.

Chander stuffed the stat sheet against East Tennessee State with 16 points, six assists, five rebounds and three assists. All his scoring came in the first half when Tennessee built a 46-23 lead.

Chandler was considered the top scholastic point guard recruit in the country last season. In any language, he’s a baller.

Kennedy Chandler com 16PTS, 4REB, 3ASS, 2STL em 6-8FG e 2-3 3PT no intervalo.

pic.twitter.com/ctHg4BHnrI

— Scout Brasil 🇧🇷 (@ScoutBrasil__) November 14, 2021

Also averaging double figures in scoring are junior guard Santiago Vescovi (13.5) and sophomore guard Justin Powell (12.0), a transfer from Auburn. Powell had 11 points last Sunday after scoring 13 in his Volunteers’ debut against Tennessee-Marton.

Senior forward John Fulkerson returned against East Tennessee State after missing the opener with a broken thumb. The fan favorite provided a lift with six points and 10 rebounds.

Villanova-Tennessee Prediction

Villanova has a 3-1 series edge. The Wildcats won the last meeting 85-76 during the 2017-18 season at the Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas.

This game between two talented teams is an attractive matchup, especially the point guard showdown between the veteran Gillespie and the rookie Chandler. Look for the game to be played on tight terms, which makes Tennessee worth a play on the moneyline.

The Pick: Tennessee ML (+122)