Vegas Play of the Day: Tennessee at Kentucky

We've reset the Play of the Day with fresh bankrolls and turned it into a yearly competition. Our three sports writers have re-started with $10,000 bankrolls to continue using on odds from the South Point.

Tennessee plus-17 at Kentucky: $440 to win $400

Sometimes the best value on the betting board comes from going against the hottest team in the country. No one is playing better than Kentucky, which has won and covered three in a row with the average margin of victory of 27 points per game.

But the game before the run came at Tennessee, where the Volunteers upset the Wildcats 84-77 as 8-point underdogs. Now, Tennessee gets nine more points on the betting line for the rematch?

That’s a take. As scary as the Wildcats can be, it’s unrealistic to expect them to continue at their current pace where they face no resistance.

Tennessee isn’t a very good team, but it’s athletic and matches up with Kentucky better than a lot of SEC counterparts. The Volunteers are adept at attacking the basket and getting to the free-throw line, as they used a 30-for-34 showing from the charity stripe to beat the foul-happy Wildcats the first time.

Surely they won’t get there as much in Lexington, Ky., but with a 17-point cushion, they won’t need to. Tennessee will keep it relatively close.

Current Standings (as of July 1): Brewer (34-31, $9,680), Bern (25-33, $6,835), Keefer (32-42-2, $5,852)

Lifetime standings: 2014-15 Champion Bern (105-106-1), Keefer (116-124-4), Brewer (103-118-2)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.