No. 8 Tennessee gets its season underway against the Wofford Terriers, and the Volunteers have a significant talent and depth advantage heading into this matchup. With the game taking place at Food City Center, Tennessee should have no shortage of energy from the home crowd. The Volunteers also have a major edge on the glass, coming off a season in which they posted a +12.6 rebounding margin and ranked among the nation’s best in offensive rebounding. Look for Tennessee to generate plenty of second-chance opportunities and use its physicality to build an early lead.
Chace Watley will be one of the main players Wofford looks to for offense after scoring 9.7 points per game last season. However, Wofford lacks an established high-volume scorer who can consistently challenge Tennessee’s defense. The Volunteers should be able to apply pressure, rotate multiple defenders and make it difficult for the Terriers to find a rhythm offensively. Tennessee also revamped its roster with several impact additions, including Juke Harris from Wake Forest, Dai Dai Ames from California and Jalen Haralson from Notre Dame. With the talent gap, rebounding advantage and home-court edge all working in Tennessee’s favor, I expect the Volunteers to control this game from the opening tip.
Wofford vs Tennessee prediction: Tennessee -25.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number.
