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Tennessee vs. Arizona: How to watch, odds, predictions from ESPN, KenPom

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•12/17/22•

BarkleyTruax

The Tennessee Basketball teams celebrates during the Battle 4 Atlantis (Tennessee Athletics)
The Tennessee Basketball teams celebrates during the Battle 4 Atlantis (Tennessee Athletics)

Saturday plays host to a litany of ranked matchups, but few are as exciting as the top-10 nightcap featuring No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 9 Arizona. The Wildcats are undefeated at home (5-0) this season as they defend home court against the white-hot Vols.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster matchup between Tennessee and Arizona.

How to watch Tennessee vs. Arizona

Tip-off: 10:30 p.m. ET

Location: Tucson, AZ

Channel: ESPN2

Vegas odds

Arizona is a 3.5-point favorite over Tennessee on Saturday, according to VegasInsider. The over-under is set at 148.5 points.

ESPN BPI prediction

Predicted winner: Arizona

Predicted point differential: 1

Win probability (for Arizona): 53.7%

Matchup quality: 98.1

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a tool that measures team strength and uses that to predict outcomes of future performances. ESPN’s BPI has Tennessee vs Arizona ranked as the second highest-rated game on Thursday’s slate in terms of matchup quality.

KenPom prediction

Predicted final score: Tennessee 75, Arizona 74

Win probability (for Tennessee): 52%

KenPom is another tool that provides advanced analysis across college basketball. Unlike ESPN, KenPom projects that Tennessee comes away with a victory over Arizona.

Tennessee’s defense vs. Arizona’s offense

Tennessee’s elite defense will go against the No. 1 offense in the nation in what has been a highly-anticipated heavyweight matchup this week.

Arizona averages a NCAA-high 92 points per game. They’ve surpassed the century mark on three occasions this year, and they’re coming off a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi that saw the Wildcats put up 99 points on the Islanders. Still, they haven’t faced a defense like the Vols’. 

That defensive effort has been on full display all season long. There have been only two teams this season, Colorado and USC, who have scored more than 60 points on the Vols. They’ve held their last five opponents, including ranked Kansas and Maryland teams, to under 53 points, too.