No. 1 Tennessee (14-1 SU, 9-5-1 ATS, 1-1 SEC) travels to Austin to take on Texas (11-4 SU, 8-7 ATS, 0-2 SEC) on Saturday at 6pmET from the Moody Center. Last season, these teams met once with the Vols winning 62-58 at home as a 6.5-point favorite in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Read on to find out who will win this Tennessee Vols vs. Texas prediction and if you are struggling to pick winners, you've come to the right place. We have the best NCAAB Predictions available.
Vols get crushed in first loss
Tennessee opened the season at 14-0 and looked like a legitimate Final Four contender. They were the last of the unbeatens and were destroyed 73-43 on Tuesday night at Florida. The Vols were never in this game to start and made just four shots in the first half, trailing by as many as 36 points. Chris Lanier, a North Florida transfer, scored 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting. The Vols shot a pathetic 21% from the field and 14% (4-29) from long range. They were outrebounded by 14 so there was really nothing positive to come out of a game that they lost by 30.
After the loss, Tennesssee is still ranked 6th overall by KenPom and has the third-ranked defense (Adjusted Defense). Lanier averages 19.6 points per game, while shooting 43.6% from the field and 44.2% from long range. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler adds 11.6 points, 7.5 steals and 1.9 steals on 38% from the field and 29% from longe range.
The Vols do rank 13th in total rebounding percentage and 44th in offensive rebounds per game. Defensively, they are one of the best teams in the nation, allowing just 57.1 points per game (2nd), 35.3% from the field (2nd) and 24.6% (1st) from beyond the arc. On offense, they average 77.3 points per game, while shooting 46.4% from the field and 34% from long range.
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Texas is trying to get back in the win column
Texas is ranked 38th by KenPom after losing their first two SEC games to Texas A&M (80-60) on the road and to Auburn (87-82) at home on Tuesday. They had won four straight games over mid-major competition (Northwestern State, New Orleans, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, New Mex. State) before stepping into SEC competition. It's never too early to look at the Net Rankings and they have Texas at 42 and more importantly 0-2 against Quad 1 teams. A win here would be huge for the Longhorns, who need to start beating SEC teams, but an 0-3 start would be nearly devastating with Oklahoma and Florida coming up on the road.
On Tuesday, the Longhorns faced the #2 Auburn Tigers and fell behind by 12 12 at the half, before falling 87-82. Senior forward Arthur Kaluma led Texas with 34 points on 12-of-16 from the field Junior Jordan Pope added 19 points, three steals and made all 11 of his free throw attempts.
Freshman wing Tre Johnson (6-6, 190), who is a potential lottery pick in 2025, leads the Horns with 184 points, while shooting 46% from the field and 40.2% from long range. Kaluma, a 6-7, 225-pound Kansas State transfer, adds 18.4 points and 8.3 rebounds with 1.0 steals, while shooting 55.1% from the field and 52.4% from beyond the arc. Texas is ranked 62nd in total rebounding percentage and 21st in assist-to-turnover ratio. Guard Chendall Weaver (hip) is questionable for this game.
Offensively, Texas averages 82.7 points per game while shooting 50.3% from the field (9th) and 40.2% from long range (9th). On defense, they are allowing 64.9 points per game, 40.2% shooting and 31.1% from long range.
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Best Bets for Tennessee vs. Texas
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
I know this is a big game for Texas, but the Vols were embarrassed in their last game. I can only imagine they'll be laser-focused after shooting 21% from the field and making 12 shots in a 40-minute game. They have an incredible defensive team and while they don't have superstars, Lanier has been one since coming over from North Florida. Texas hung in there against Auburn because Kaluma had a big game. But Felix Okpara (6-11, 235) and Igor Milicic (6-10, 225) understand the task at hand to make his job difficult.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
I'm picking the Tennessee Vols to win this game because their defense travels. They are allowing just 32.4% from the field on the road and 24.4% from long range. They've gone under in three straight and six of their last seven games. The Vols also want a slower pace as they rank 295th in Adjusted Tempo according to KenPom, while the Longhorns are at 211. Texas has gone under two of their last three games. I just see the Longhorns struggling
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