UConn vs. Tennessee Women: Picks, Predictions and Odds

The UConn Huskies will be trying to extend their winning streak to 12 games when they visit the Tennessee Volunteers on Thursday evening.

UConn (21-2) has not lost since December 21st, when it fell to seventh-ranked USC by a 72-70 score. Tennessee (16-5), meanwhile, halted a three-game skid with a victory at Missouri this past Sunday.

Read below to see our experts’ predictions for this intriguing Thursday night matchup, which tips off at 6:30 PM ET on ESPN.

UConn vs. Tennessee betting picks and predictions

Tennessee +7.5 (-115)

The Volunteers’ 16-5 record is impressive, but the truth is that they are probably even better than such a number suggests.

Head coach Kim Caldwell’s crew has not lost a game by more than seven points and three of its setbacks have come by two points or fewer.

Tennessee has dropped games against top-10 opponents by one point (No. 9 Oklahoma), two points (No. 6 LSU) and four points (at No. 7 Texas). It also fell at Vanderbilt (18-5, 5-4 SEC) via a 71-70 decision on January 19th.

Some of the Vols’ victories are worth noting, as well. In December they picked up back-to-back wins over current No. 22 Florida State and then-No. 17 Iowa.

No other team in the entire nation scores like Tennessee. Its 91.1 points per game are the second-most in women’s basketball and it leads the nation with 11.0 three-pointers made per contest.

Jewel Spear, Samara Spencer and Tess Darby have all drained at least 40 triples this season, and Spencer is shooting better than 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Leading scorer Talaysia Cooper (17.9 ppg) has been especially hot of late. She has scored at least 20 points in four of the last seven games following this past Sunday’s performance, a 76-71 win over Iowa that featured 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, six steals and three blocks.

UConn has been blowing opponents out on a consistent basis, but the competition level is far from difficult in the Big East.

The Huskies’ two most recent results against top-25 teams – both outside the conference – are perhaps more telling. They lost at Notre Dame 79-68 on December 12th before falling at home to USC 72-70 on December 21st.

Based on that, back the Vols to keep the Huskies within reach.

Over 152.5 Total Points (-120)

The Over also looks like a strong play for this matchup. After all, it’s hard to feel comfortable about backing the Under when high-powered offenses like those of UConn and Tennessee are involved.

It is true that the Volunteers inflated their scoring average by beating up on relatively weak non-conference competition, but it should not be overlooked that they have scored at least 86 points in five of nine SEC games.

Cooper is on fire right now and Ruby Whitehorn (13.0 ppg) has scored at least 20 points in two of the past five outings. Tennessee is not afraid to implement a full-court press on defense, so opponents don’t run many half-court sets. The Vols can give up points quickly but also score in transition off turnovers.

The Huskies are not too far behind at 81.1 ppg, good for No. 15 in the country in that department. Head coach Geno Auriemma has a supremely talented big three in the form of Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd.

Bueckers is averaging 19.0 ppg and 4.2 apg, while Strong - a 6’2” forward - is arguably the best freshman in the land with 17.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 3.6 apg. Fudd, meanwhile, is averaging 11.3 points on 42.5 percent three-point shooting.

This promises to be an entertaining showdown between two of the most talented teams – and historic programs – in the nation that both like to run up and down the court. Expect a lot of points.

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Basketball on site.

UConn vs. Tennessee odds

UConn	-425 ML
Tennessee	+240 ML
Spread	UConn -7.5
Total Points	O/U 152.5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.