Check out our free Texas vs Tennessee pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Knoxville. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Texas vs Tennessee Pick & Preview: Saturday, January 28th Betting Odds
Longhorns vs Volunteers Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Texas Longhorns at Tennessee Volunteers
- Where: Knoxville at Thompson-Boling Arena
- Date: Saturday, January 28th
- Betting Odds: Texas +6.5, TX +226 | TENN -291 O/U 136.5
Longhorns Preview:
The Texas Longhorns will be looking to pick up their 21st win of the season and are in the middle of a 2 game win streak. So far, the Longhorns have played 4 games on the road, with a record of 3-1. For the season, Texas has been the underdog in 2 games, sitting with a mark of 1-1. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Longhorns being +6.5 point underdogs.
Texas will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Marcus Carr who is averaging 17.6 points per game for the Longhorns. Carr is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Longhorns’ offensive game plan is the play of Timmy Allen who has hit 48.5% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 10.7 points per game.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for Texas this season, as they are currently ranked 295th in college basketball at 68.3 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Longhorns’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 32.3%, placing them 354th in the NCAA.
Volunteers Preview:
Through 20 games, the Tennessee Volunteers have an overall record of 17-3. Currently, the Volunteers have been the home team 14 times, sitting with a record of 12-2. The Volunteers’ are sitting with a betting line that is -6.5 points in their favor. For the season, Tennessee has been favored to win in 19 games, sitting with a mark of 17-2.
Tennessee’s leading scorer this season is Zakai Zeigler, who is averaging 10.65 points per contest. So far, Zeigler has accounted for 14.38% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 3.05 rebounds per game and 4.9 assists. Santiago Vescovi is the second leading scorer for the Volunteers, averaging 12.24 points per game. Between him and Vescovi, they are accounting for 28.4% of the team’s scoring.
On offense, Tennessee comes into the game looking to control the pace of play, as they are just 490th in possessions per game. Even with their preference to slow the game down, the Volunteers’ are scoring at a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.2 points per game. So far, 40.63% of their shots have come from beyond the arc, where they have connected at a rate of 35.8%.
Free Spread Prediction: Texas Longhorns +6.5
After boiling down all the statistics and trends, it is clear why the oddsmakers have placed the Tennessee Volunteers as the favorites to win. Not only do the Texas Longhorns have a mediocre record vs the spread at away of late 3-7, but Tennessee also has the statistical edge in 3-pointers made per game and overall field goal percentage. Yet, our model shows that the current odds of -6.5 points in favor of the Volunteers is too high and there is good value on grabbing Texas vs the spread. While most bettors will likely be piling on the Tennessee Volunteers as the favorite, we full good about taking the oppsite side and grabbing Texas taking the points.
