Halftime Report

Tennessee is on the road but looking no worse for wear. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but Tennessee leads 34-31 over North Carolina State.

Tennessee entered the match having won three straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will North Carolina State step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

North Carolina State Wolfpack @ Tennessee Volunteers

Current Records: North Carolina State 7-2, Tennessee 7-3

How To Watch

What to Know

Tennessee has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack in a holiday battle at 10:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at at Frost Bank Center. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Winning is just a little bit easier when your shooting is a whole 17.7% better than the opposition, a fact Tennessee proved on Tuesday. They strolled past the Eagles with points to spare, taking the game 74-56. The team accrued 49 points in the first half and coasted on those for the win.

Jonas Aidoo was the offensive standout of the game as he dropped a double-double on 29 points and 11 rebounds. Those 29 points set a new season-high mark for him.

Meanwhile, North Carolina State waltzed into their matchup Tuesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They came out on top against the Skyhawks by a score of 81-67.

Among those leading the charge was DJ Horne, who went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 22 points and 3 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. DJ Burns Jr. was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds.

The Volunteers pushed their record up to 7-3 with that victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 79.6 points per game. As for the Wolfpack, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Tennessee and North Carolina State are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Tennessee hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 78.1 points per game. However, it's not like North Carolina State struggles in that department as they've been averaging 80.3 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

Tennessee was able to grind out a solid victory over North Carolina State in their previous matchup back in November of 2017, winning 67-58. Does Tennessee have another victory up their sleeve, or will North Carolina State turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.

Odds

North Carolina State is a big 9-point favorite against Tennessee, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 9-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is set at 149 points.

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Series History

Tennessee won the only game these two teams have played in the last 6 years.

  • Nov 24, 2017 - Tennessee 67 vs. North Carolina State 58