2009 Tennessee NCAA Tournament Predictions & Odds to Win
Written March 16, 2009 by Jack Jones
Expectations were high for Bruce Pearl and his Tennessee Volunteers entering the season, but the team struggled to recover from a slow start. Even though Tennessee was 21-12 the guards let down the Vols all season long. The Vols are +2000 to win the East Region.
Instead of the top-tier team many pundits were predicting to be fast-paced, aggressive on defense, and deadly from behind the arc this team was inconsistent and streaky. The Vols never did develop an outside threat and have had to rely on their frontcourt to get the ball in the basket. Tennessee is a 2-point favorite over Oklahoma State in their opener.
The struggles on defense were the biggest surprise to me as Pearl’s teams have traditionally been solid on that end of the floor. The low point of the season had to be the 54 points scored by Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks. The poor shooting couldn’t have helped matters either, as teams started packing it in and forcing the Vols to hoist up outside shots.
You have to give Pearl some credit though as he has changed the team’s style from a fast-paced, pressing style to slowing it down and pounding the ball inside to the frontcourt players.
This is an athletic team that is pretty deep. Wayne Chism is a 6′9″ forward that is strong enough to play in the post but can also knock down outside shots. Tyler Smith is a 6′7″ forward that is a real star and recorded the first triple-double in school history with his line of 12 pionts, 10 boards, and 10 assists against UNC-Ashville. The Vols also have 6′10″ Brian Williams as a post option who provides help off the bench. The Vols are listed at +6000 to make the national title game.
Bobby Maze and JP Prince are going to have to get things going for this team out of the backcourt, or Tennessee will be sent packing early. If you want to bet on Tennessee to win the national title you can get +10000 odds at BetUS.
Check out the college basketball picks from our handicappers if you want to have the best chance of beating the NCAA basketball lines the rest of the season. Nobody can help you come out on top with your college basketball betting like our handicappers here at BetFirms.
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