Prime-Time Props — Thursday Night Football, Week 1
Prop God
The 2021-22 college basketball season is in full swing, and the nonconference schedule is loaded with matchups between the top teams in the country. Below is my analysis and favorite bet for Wednesday’s slate.
Tennessee vs. Arizona
(Line: Tennessee -2, DraftKings Sportsbook)
Arizona has looked invincible over the first month of the season going undefeated in the nonconference thus far with wins over Big Ten giants Michigan and Illinois. Everyone and their mother think Arizona is a top-three team in the country based off their short resume, and although I am high on the Cats, let’s pump the brakes for a second. I want to see much more from Arizona before considering them with the elite and this next three-game stretch for them will an extremely tough test.
With Tommy Lloyd at the helm, the Cats have adopted a much higher-tempo playing style that mirrors one of the best continuity offenses we’ve seen over the last decade in Gonzaga. What has been their calling card so far is their dominant interior defense behind Christian Koloko and Azuolas Tubelis, which has them as the No. 1 two-point percentage defense in the nation. Their stellar interior defense allowed Arizona to match up well and shut down the strengths of both Illinois and Michigan, but Tennessee’s offense revolves more around the point guard play of dynamic freshman Kennedy Chandler and three-point shooting. The one spot where Arizona could be exploited is their perimeter defense where Kerr Kriisa, Tubelis and Koloko could get caught in bad switching situations (sounds familiar to Gonzaga) and the Volunteer duo of Chandler and Santiago Vescovi should be able to take advantage. On defense, Tennessee’s defense (especially on the interior) is elite ranking out second nationally per KenPom. It’s hard to see Koloko or Tubelis having the same success they’ve had recently going against this stout Tennessee interior defense anchored by veteran John Fulkerson. What this game will come down to is the perimeter making plays, and I have more faith in Chandler and Vescovi’s playmaking ability (especially at home) than Kriisa and Mathurin. I like the Vols to hand Arizona their first loss of the season here. I would wait to play the number, have a feeling the public bets this down to a PK.
The Pick: Tennessee -2
