2 Best Bets and Player Props for UConn vs. Tennessee Women's Basketball

All eyes will be on Knoxville tonight when No. 5 UConn takes on No. 19 Tennessee.

Entering Thursday, the line is UConn -6.5, and the over/under is set at 151.5 total points.

Let's check out the UConn-Tennessee odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds to sift through the UConn-Tennessee best bets.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

UConn vs. Tennessee Betting Picks

UConn Over 79.5 Points (-106)

UConn-Tennessee is one of the most historic rivalries in college basketball, but these programs aren't exactly on the same level this season. UConn enters Thursday with a 21-2 record and No. 5 standing in the latest AP Poll; Tennessee is 16-5 and ranked 19th.

Now, they aren't so far removed from one another that I'm comfortable backing the Huskies to cover as 6.5-point favorites on the road. But the UConn offense should still be able to put up points here, presenting value in UConn over 79.5 points at -106 odds.

The Huskies have the best offense in college basketball -- at least according to Bart Torvik's adjusted offensive efficiency numbers. UConn is second nationally in effective field goal percentage (eFG%), fourth in turnover rate, second in two-point field goal percentage, and fifth in three-point field goal percentage.

However, UConn is just 209th nationally in adjusted tempo, explaining why they've "only" averaged 81.4 points per game.

Tennessee, notably, is 8th in adjusted tempo, so this is a definitive pace-up spot for the Huskies.

The Vols also aren't an especially fearsome defense. They're just 38th in adjusted defense and an eye-popping 294th in eFG% allowed. That's resulted in them surrendering 75.2 points per game to Power Conference teams -- 12th-most among 79 Power Conference defenses. That includes 89 and 87-point efforts from LSU and Oklahoma in the last month -- both of which came in Knoxville.

UConn is a better offense than both of those SEC powers, and they've proven more than capable of pouring on the points in big games. As such, UConn over 79.5 points is my preferred way to attack this game, especially with Bart Torvik projecting the Huskies for 85 total points.

Paige Bueckers Over 20.5 Points (-114)

I'm on UConn to go over their team total tonight, naturally pointing me toward the over on Paige Bueckers' 20.5-point prop.

Bueckers is averaging 19 points per game on the season, though that's dipped to 17.3 in Big East games. But UConn is a perfect 12-0 in conference play, so they haven't needed to lean on their star guard to score. If we look back at their non-conference games, their player usage hints at Bueckers' role surging tonight.

Across 11 non-conference games, Bueckers averaged 20.5 points on a 25.6% usage rate. In the six of those games that came against Power Conference opponents, Paige's scoring average jumped to 23.3 and her usage soared to 30.4%. She scored at least 22 points in five of those, giving us some leeway with this 20.5-point prop.

Now, it's fair to be concerned with how UConn will fare given the tight(ish) spread of 6.5 points. But a tighter game would only benefit Bueckers. She went for 22 and 25 points in their two losses this season, hoisting 20-plus shots in both games.

Against a suspect Tennessee defense and in a pace-up spot, consider Paige Bueckers over 20.5 points.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.