Illinois vs Tennessee Prediction Picks: Can Shannon & the Illini Knock Off the Vols in Knoxville?

On Tuesday, Illinois picked up a big win for their March Madness resume as they topped Florida Atlantic in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Today offers an opportunity to add another quality win as the #20 Illini visit #17 Tennessee (12:00 pm ET, CBS), who could use such a win themselves after a few disappointing early results.

Since losing at home to Marquette over three weeks ago, Illinois (7-1) has won five straight games. The first three of those weren’t much to write home about, as they brushed aside Valparaiso, Southern, and Western Illinois.

But the Illini opened Big Ten play last Saturday with an impressive 18-point win at Rutgers, and they followed that up with Tuesday’s 98-89 win over the 11th-ranked Owls at MSG.

Bet on Illinois vs Tennessee and Other College Basketball Games at Bovada

If they can win in Knoxville, Brad Underwood’s squad will be looking at a major jump in next week’s polls.

Tennessee, meanwhile, will be eyeing a second win over Big Ten opposition this season to go with a road win over Wisconsin, which looks even better now than it did at the time with the 7-2 Badgers now ranked and riding a six-game win streak entering today’s matchup with top-ranked Arizona.

But the Vols have also missed a few valuable opportunities, losing to Purdue and Kansas in the Maui Invitational and to North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and their lone remaining test in non-conference play is next Saturday against North Carolina State in San Antonio.

Illinois vs Tennessee Odds

Odds are courtesy of Bovada.

Spread

• Illinois +7 (-110)
• Tennessee -7 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 144 (-110)
• Under 144 (-110)

Can Sizzling Shannon Stay Hot for Illinois?

In Tuesday’s win over FAU, the Illini scored a season-high in points behind an outstanding night by Terrence Shannon Jr., who scored 33 points (10 of 14 FG, 2 of 5 3PT, 11 of 13 FT).

In Illinois’ 71-64 loss to Marquette, Shannon scored 21 points but was only 6 of 16 from the field. He clearly expected more of himself, given how he has performed since.

Over his last five games, Shannon is shooting 50% (16 of 32) from three and 60.9% (39 of 64) from the field, and he has scored 22, 24, 19, 23, and 33 points.

Top Players for Illinois

• Terrence Shannon Jr.: 21.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 45.3% 3PT
• Marcus Domask: 12.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG
• Dain Dainja: 8.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG
• Luke Goode: 8.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG

So, that is the man for Tennessee to try to put the clamps on, without a doubt. However, he wasn’t the only Illinois player to hit the 30-point mark in the win over FAU.

In his first seven games with the Illini, Southern Illinois transfer Marcus Domask had scored in double figures only twice.

But against the Owls, he went off for as many points (33) as he did combined in those games against Marquette (18 points, 6 of 13 FG, 3 of 7 3PT, and 3 of 3 FT) and Rutgers (15 points, 6 of 13 FG).

If Domask can continue to deliver in Illinois’ biggest games, the Illini will be a very, very tough out for Tennessee and for most teams in the Big Ten.

If Shannon and Domask can light it up again to help Illinois score 80+ points for the fifth time this season, can Tennessee counter?

Top Players for Tennessee

• Dalton Knecht: 19.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.0 APG
• Josiah-Jordan James: 11.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 42.9% 3PT
• Jordan Gainey: 11.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG
• Jonas Aidoo: 9.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG

They certainly have the firepower in leading scorer Dalton Knecht, who had a season-low 10 points in Tuesday’s 87-66 win over George Mason and made only 4 of his 11 shots.

Knecht might not have been 100%, however, after suffering an ankle injury in Tennessee’s 100-92 loss at North Carolina on November 29.

It’s all the better for the Vols if they can keep Shannon and Domask as quiet as possible since Illinois doesn’t have a deep arsenal of scoring options.

But even if they keep the Illini in the 70s or even high 60s, some offense will be needed beyond Knecht. That means that the likes of Gainey and Santiago Vescovi will need to be more hit than miss.

It would be especially helpful if veteran guard Vescovi could chip in with double figures, something he has done only twice thus far this season.

One of those efforts was in the Maui Invitational third-place game against Kansas, when he put up 21 points (8 of 16 FG, 5 of 11 3PT) in Tennessee’s 69-60 loss. In Tennessee’s other seven games, Vescovi is shooting only 33.3% (10 of 30) from the field overall, including just 23.8% (5 of 21) from three.

Illinois vs Tennessee Prediction and Picks

Prediction: Tennessee to win

Picks: Illinois +7 (-110 at Bovada) & Marcus Domask over 13.5 points (-120 at Bovada)

I don’t think Tennessee will run away with this one, but I do think the Vols will pull out the win.

But even in defeat, I expect Domask to have another solid performance against challenging opposition.

As I said the other day when referencing the assist prop for Iowa State’s Keshon Gilbert (vs Iowa), this is a great spot to make the most of while the number is still this low. If he continues to post efforts like against Marquette, Rutgers, and FAU, that total will only continue to go up as well.

Where to Bet on College Basketball

If you are looking for college basketball odds, you will always be spoiled for choice.

Sports betting sites all over the internet offer a vast array of NCAA basketball odds throughout the season, from the opening tip in November to the conclusion of the season in early April.

Along with being able to bet on countless games, many online sportsbooks offer men’s college basketball national championship odds, women’s college basketball national championship odds, men’s Wooden Award odds, women’s Wooden Award odds, and odds on who will win early season and conference tournaments.

Below are some of the books that we highly recommend for college basketball betting:

• BetDSI
• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Bovada
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

Other College Basketball Content

• College Basketball Betting Guide
• Men’s Wooden Award Winner Odds
• Women’s Wooden Award Winner Odds