Texas basketball vs. Tennessee: Prediction and odds college basketball
What could turn out to be the most difficult remaining game on the regular season schedule for No. 10 Texas basketball and acting head coach Rodney Terry is set for the evening of Jan. 28. Texas will take on its former head coach Rick Barnes and the No. 4 ranked Tennessee Volunteers on the road in Knoxville in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge this weekend.
This will be a crazy environment at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville with the set of ESPN College GameDay in attendance for this game on Jan. 28.
Texas comes into this difficult matchup against Tennessee with some momentum as it sits on a two-game winning streak following the comfortable 89-75 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys at home at the Moody Center in Austin on Jan. 24. The win over the Pokes gives Texas a record of 17-3 (5-2 Big 12) heading into the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Meanwhile, Tennessee is riding a three-game winning streak heading into the weekend following a dominant 70-41 win over the Georgia Bulldogs at home at Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 25. Tennessee comes into the SEC/Big 12 Challenge with a record of 17-3 (7-1 SEC).
Here’s a look at the betting odds and game prediction as Texas gets set to take on Tennessee on the road at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville on Jan. 28, with the tip-off time set for 5 p.m. CT. This game is also set to be televised live on the flagship ESPN channel.
Texas basketball vs. Tennessee: Betting odds for Jan. 28
Texas is a 5.5-point underdog against Tennessee and the over/under is set at 132.5 (per FanDuel).
The moneyline favors Tennessee (-245) over Texas (+198).
According to Kenpom, Texas has a 23 percent chance of beating Tennessee. And Kenpom projects Texas to fall short of Tennessee 72-64.
Texas vs. Tennessee prediction
On paper, this is a really difficult matchup for Terry and the Longhorns. Barnes and the Vols have the opportunity to prove they’re the best team in the SEC, especially after what happened to the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide in a beatdown in Norman at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners on Jan. 28.
Tennessee brings the nation’s No. 1 ranked defense in adjusted efficiency and defensive rating into this matchup against a Texas offense that ranks 12th in the country in offensive efficiency and 23rd in points per game (80.5).
Texas is going to have to execute at a near-perfect level if it wants a shot at pulling off the upset for the Vols in Knoxville this weekend. But that doesn’t necessarily mean this is an impossible task for the Longhorns.
If Texas can play its style of game, especially on the offensive end of the floor, there is an opportunity to get the big upset win. Texas needs to find its game in the fast break and knock down what uncontested chances it will get from deep and from the mid-range.
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I would set the target at around 65 or 70 points for Texas to feel comfortable about being in a spot to pull off the upset on the road of Tennessee on Jan. 28. But this still looks like a daunting task for Texas where this team shouldn’t necessarily feel alarmed about falling short to a No. 4 ranked Tennessee squad in Knoxville.