Illinois Basketball vs. Tennessee: Odds, Trends and Prediction

The Illini are 3-point underdogs against the No. 1 Vols entering Saturday's tilt at State Farm Center

Dec 10, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Igor Milicic Jr. (7) dunks in the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

One year ago, Illinois fell in a rugged 86-79 clash at Tennessee. The Illini led by a bucket at the half. A 17-5 second-half run by the Volunteers changed the flow. Two very good teams – bound for the Elite Eight, both – went at it hard.

Now, forget all about it. Because neither the No. 1-ranked Vols (9-0) nor the unranked Illini (7-2) is anywhere close to being the same team. Certainly not roster-wise.

Highlights from Illinois' 86-80 win over No. 20 Wisconsin.#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/EEk8lmiSmt

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) December 11, 2024

One team – spectacular defensively – has bubbled up to No. 1 as fellow big boppers have dented the "L" column. The other, rich with talent, will try to score its school's first upset of the top-ranked team in the land since 2013. State Farm Center will be a powder keg from the opening tip Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT on FOX.

Where to put your money on this one? Read on.

Get tough, stay tough, Illini: They didn't show up at all on the offensive glass in a Big Ten-opening loss at Northwestern. They were much different animals in a bounce-back win against Wisconsin, extending and saving possessions in a close game. It will be harder against the Vols, who will test the Illini's mettle from the get-go. It will be hard for freshman point guard Kasparas Jakucionis to operate. Stud newcomers Tomislav Ivisic and Will Riley had better man up. Physicality from Kylan Boswell and Morez Johnson Jr. will be mandatory, and Ben Humrichous might want to find the bottom of the bucket.

Vols everywhere, all at once: No player in America creates more havoc than point guard Zakai Zeigler, who mixes 8.1 assists per game with 2.0 steals. High-scoring Chaz Lanier, a portal dude from North Florida, was a grand-slam addition. Ivisic's fellow Croatian, Igor Milicic Jr., will join him in a tremendous battle of bigs.

Series trends: The teams pushed last year's game, in which the Vols were favored by 7. The game went over by 20 points, definitely something to think about. It was the schools' first matchup in 36 years, so no other history is relevant.

ATS, total trends: Tennessee is 7-2 against the spread and covered seven straight times before its last outing, a 13-point win against Miami (Florida). Illinois is 5-4 against the spread but hasn't covered either of its last two games. Both teams have been trending under.

The picks: The line is Tennessee -3, with an over/under of 147½. We're going with Tennessee and the under.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Basketball Aims for Fourth Win Over a No. 1 vs. Tennessee

ESPN Prediction for Illinois Basketball vs. No. 1 Tennessee

Key Matchup: Illinois vs. Tennessee – the Battle of the Backcourts