Feast Week continues with a loaded Wednesday of college basketball to wager on. Kansas and Tennessee will clash in a good one from Las Vegas, and there will be some prize money on the line to play for. Let’s breakdown a prediction and pick on Jayhawks vs. Volunteers.
Kansas vs. Tennessee prediction, preview (7pm ET)
Kansas and Tennessee are both 2-0 so far in Vegas, but are not eligible for the championship game due to point differential — Gonzaga will face Michigan for the big money. That leaves the Jayhawks and Vols playing in the third-place game, which still involves plenty of motivation. The winners of this game take home $300,000 in NIL money, versus $200,000 for the losers.
While the Jayhawks have been grinding without their star freshman in Darryn Peterson, I’m expecting the Vols to prove a bit too much for them to handle. Wins over Notre Dame and Syracuse were impressive for a still talented Kansas team, but Bill Self is going to need to generate scoring in this game, and that’ll be tough against Tennessee’s defense without Peterson.
Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller had their way for the Jayhawks against ND and ‘Cuse, but now will meet a more experienced, physical and deep Tennessee front court. That’s going to be a problem for Kansas. After winning the guard play in the first two games, the Jayhawks will also be the less talented backcourt for the first time in Vegas. Ja’Kobi Gillespie, the Maryland transfer, has been a terrific stabilizer for the Vols in the backcourt, and has been shooting the lights out.
While it’s strange to say about Kansas, the Jayhawks are just at a massive talent and depth disadvantage in this game. I like the Vols to run away with this one in their finale in Vegas.
