Halftime Report
Tennessee is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Miami 38-25.
Tennessee entered the game having won eight straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it nine, or will Miami step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Tennessee Volunteers @ Miami Hurricanes
Current Records: Tennessee 8-0, Miami 3-6
How To Watch
What to Know
Miami has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Tennessee Volunteers at 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. One look at the odds and it’s safe to say the Hurricanes are not losing any sleep ahead of Tuesday’s contest.
Miami is headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 147.5, but even that wound up being too high. They took a 65-55 hit to the loss column at the hands of Clemson on Saturday. The match marked the Hurricanes’ lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Despite their defeat, Miami saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Lynn Kidd, who went 5 for 7 en route to 10 points plus eight rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Kidd had some trouble finding his footing against Arkansas on Tuesday, so this was a step in the right direction. Less helpful for Miami was Nijel Pack’s abysmal 0-7 three-point shooting.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Miami struggled to work together and finished the game with only five assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve managed all season.
Meanwhile, Tennessee put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They took their game with ease, bagging a 96-70 victory over Syracuse. The Volunteers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 22 points or more this season.
Chaz Lanier was the offensive standout of the matchup as he had 26 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Zakai Zeigler, who posted 14 points in addition to eight assists and four steals.
Miami dropped their record down to 3-6 with the loss, which was their third straight at home. As for Tennessee, their win bumped their record up to 8-0.
Tuesday’s match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Miami just can’t miss this season, having drained 48.9% of their field goals per game. However, it’s not like Tennessee (currently ranked first) struggles in that department as they’ve made 52.5% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Odds
Miami is a big 16.5-point favorite against Tennessee, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 16.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 145.5 points.
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