Radford Highlanders vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Radford limps back east after two losses in California and runs straight into the No. 8 team in the country. Tennessee looked the part in its opener, and the question in Knoxville is whether a scoring Radford team can keep this from turning into a parade.

The Matchup

Radford visits Tennessee on Monday evening at the Food City Center in Knoxville, on SECN+, with Tennessee a 29.5-point favorite, a total of 154.5, and the Volunteers priced at -100,000 on the moneyline against Radford at +5,000. Tennessee is 1-0 and ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25. Radford is 0-2, with both losses on the road.

Tennessee has played exactly one game, a 90-59 win over Wofford on November 3, and it looked like a team picking up an old habit. Terrence Hill Jr. scored 17 points and led Tennessee at 3.0 assists a game, and DeWayne Brown II pulled down 17 rebounds in that win, a number that says the glass belonged to the home team all night. Last season Tennessee went 22-11, scored 79.5 points a game and allowed 69.4, winning with defense and depth more than with fireworks.

Radford's first week was spent in California, losing 76-62 at San Francisco and 84-70 at California, and the Highlanders now play a third straight road game on the other side of the country. Frederik Erichsen leads Radford at 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds a game, and Ja'Corey Robinson leads the Highlanders at 5.0 assists a game.

Last season Radford went 16-16, scored 81.4 points a game and allowed 78.8, a team that could fill it up and gave plenty back. Those California scores, 62 and 70 points, are well below what last season's Radford offense produced, and whether that is the travel or a real early problem is the open question the Highlanders carry into Knoxville.

Key Factors

Brown is where Radford's night gets hard. A Tennessee forward coming off a 17-rebound game can end Radford possessions in one shot, and Erichsen at 7.5 rebounds a game is the Highlander's only proven answer on the glass. If Brown controls the boards the way he did against Wofford, Radford's offense, which needs second looks while it searches for last season's scoring touch, will spend the night playing against a set Tennessee defense.

Radford's scoring history is the reason this number is too big. The Highlanders scored 81.4 points a game last season, and a team that scores like that does not need to win the game to stay inside 29.5 points.

It needs a few ordinary stretches of made shots, and Erichsen and Robinson give it a scorer and a passer to build those stretches around. Tennessee's opener also hinted at an offense that leans on individuals: Hill Jr. leading the team at just 3.0 assists a game after one game is a small detail, but it fits a team that can go quiet in the half court when the first option is taken away.

The honest counterpoint is Tennessee's defense and the schedule Radford is dragging behind it. The Volunteers allowed 69.4 points a game last season and just 59 to Wofford, and Radford is playing its third road game in a week after a California swing.

If tired legs turn Radford's jump shots short in the second half, Tennessee's depth can stretch a 15-point game into a cover in a hurry. The Highlanders have to survive the first ten minutes in a loud building and keep the game from becoming a track meet, because a total of 154.5 means the market expects points, and a running game favors the deeper home team.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.