Tennessee-Kansas Betting Preview: Will Another Top-2 Team Go Down?

Gonzaga-Duke lived up to the hype in the Maui Invitational, as the Bulldogs claimed an 89-87 win over the No. 1 program in the country. Tennessee-Kansas should provide similar drama in the NIT Season Tip-Off final, but which team comes out victorious? Let's comb through this top-five matchup.

Betting odds: Tennessee-Kansas

• Spread: Kansas -3.5
• Over/under: 150
• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2

Both units were in a dogfight Wednesday evening versus Louisville and Marquette, respectively. The No. 5 Volunteers went on a 14-0 run late in the contest to close it out, while the No. 2 Jayhawks tipped off the second half on a 22-0 spurt to take control against the Golden Eagles.

This contest will be teams' first meeting since 2014 and should come down to guard play. Elite-level forwards Grant Williams (22.5 ppg) and Dedric Lawson (16.3 ppg) will look to establish themselves to get their teammates sound looks from around the floor.

Both programs present a top 60 Effective Field Goal Percentage, with the Vols showcasing 59% of their scoring from inside the arc. Kansas is more of a perimeter-oriented bunch, and wing Lagerald Vick has represented a massive reason why.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Vick owns the 26th-highest eFG% in the country, hitting three 3s against Marquette. But unlike the Golden Eagles, Tennessee possesses length that should bother the Jayhawks' backcourt.

Led by the 6-foot-5 Jordan Bowden and 6-foot-3 Jordan Bone, Kansas freshman Devin Dodson — 6-foot-2 himself — won't have as many openings to create in the lane as he saw against the Golden Eagles.

The Vols' Admiral Schofield is evolving into a tougher matchup on that end of the floor, as well, exhibiting the athleticism to switch 1-4 on ball screens.

Tennessee can match Kansas' elite rim protection, as the Vols rank No. 31 in Block Percentage.

Schofield played through an ankle injury against Louisville while continuing to deliver a refined Assist Rate (24.8%), which represents a 13.0 percentage-point increase from his junior campaign.

Kansas doesn't have a prime solution to keep pace with Schofield — all 6-foot-6 and 241 pounds of him.

Williams has even improved his perimeter stroke, which gives Bone another reliable threat if this one turns into a shootout.

Using him and fellow front-court mate Kyle Alexander early could be the difference in pushing Jayhawks center Udoka Azubuike to the pine with two fouls. Marquette succeeded with the same strategy.

The Volts are 17-10-1 ATS (64.0%) when getting at least 3.5 points since Rick Barnes' arrival in 2015, according to our Bet Labs data.

Despite Bill Self's 15-6 record against Barnes all-time, I expect the Vols to keep trending upward after their contest against the second-ranked Jayhawks. They're still a valuable national title future, too.

THE PICKS: Vols +3.5; Over 150