Tennessee Volunteers vs. Texas Longhorns Predictions, Picks, Odds

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The Tennessee Volunteers (14-5, 5-3 SEC) travel to meet the Texas Longhorns (15-5, 5-3 Big 12) at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN.

SCORE PREDICTION

Texas 65, Tennessee 63

BEST BETS

Texas -160 ML at DraftKings

Tennessee +4 (-110) at Atlantis

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS VS. TEXAS LONGHORNS PREDICTIONS

The Volunteers are coming off a 78-71 win against Florida on Wednesday, and it was a testy game. That's now three wins in a row for Tennessee after a blowout loss at Kentucky, 107-79. The good news for the Vols is that they have failed to cover in consecutive games just once this season, from Jan. 5-8 against Ole Miss and at LSU.

Tennessee hit 45% (25-of-55) from the field, and 46% (11-of-24) from behind the 3-point line, while going an outstanding 94% (17-of-18) from the free-throw line. The Vols did a good job with five blocked shots and 32 rebounds to just 22 boards for the visitors.

Texas paddled TCU 73-50 last time out, snapping an 0-3 ATS skid in emphatic fashion. Texas also entered the game 2-3 SU/1-4 ATS in the previous five outings, so the win was certainly much needed.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS VS. TEXAS LONGHORNS BETTING ODDS

Tennessee +145
Texas -160
Tennessee +4 (-110)
Texas -3 (-110)
Over 126.5 (-110)
Under 127.5 (-110)

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TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS VS. TEXAS LONGHORNS BETTING RESOURCES

Matchup: SEC vs. Big 12
Date: Saturday, January 29, 2022
Venue: Frank Erwin Center
Location: Austin, Texas
TV-Time: ESPN - 8:00 p.m. ET

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 14-5
ATS: 11-8
O/U: 8-11

As mentioned above, Tennessee doesn't stack a lot of non-covers. In fact, it is 6-1 ATS across the past seven following a non-cover, although it is just 1-4 ATS in the past five games as an underdog, and 2-5 ATS in the past seven as a road 'dog.

For totals, the UNDER has hit in 10 of the past 14 games overall, although the OVER is 4-0 in the past four games against teams with a winning overall record. The OVER is also 5-2 in the past seven as a road underdog, too.

TEXAS LONGHORNS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 15-5
ATS: 9-11
O/U: 8-12

The Longhorns pumped the brakes on an 0-3 ATS skid with a 73-50 victory against TCU last time out, easily covering a 2.5-point number. The 'Horns hit 45% (29-of-65) from the floor, while knocking down 44% (8-of-18) from long distance. Texas took care of the ball well, too, turning it over just eight times. The Longhorns also posted 40 rebounds to just 24 for the Horned Frogs. The one glaring issue for Texas was a terribly 58% (7-of-12) from the free-throw line.

The OVER has connected in three of the past four games for the Longhorns. The reason for the recent OVER results has mostly been defensive lapses, although that wasn't the case against TCU. The 73 points were the most since a 74-point outburst in the conference opener on New Year's Day against West Virginia, also in Austin.

**The UNDER is 10-4 in the past 14 games at home for the Longhorns. (AP)**

INSIDE THE STATS - TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Record: 14-5
VI Ranking: 20
PS/G: 74.6 (111th)
PA/G: 63.1 (41st)
ORtg: 105.1 (133rd)
DRtg: 88.8 (17th)

INSIDE THE STATS - TEXAS LONGHORNS

Record: 15-5
VI Ranking: 32
PS/G: 69.5 (227th)
PA/G: 54.7 (1st)
ORtg: 108.6 (61st)
DRtg: 85.5 (5th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

TENN: Kennedy Chandler - G (13.5 PPG, 4.9 APG, 3.0 RPG, 2.2 SPG)
TENN: Santiago Vescovi - G (14.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.8 SPG)
TEX: Timmy Allen - F (11.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG)
TEX: Marcus Carr - G (11.0 PPG, 3.4 APG, 2.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG)

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS VS. TEXAS LONGHORNS BETTING CONCLUSION

The Longhorns have been a little shaky lately, but looked like the ranked team we saw earlier in the season in its rout of the Horned Frogs last time out. Texas has posted an 12-1 SU/7-6 ATS mark in 13 games at home, and that includes back-to-back non-covers on its home floor. Meanwhile, the Volunteers have faced many tests on the road this season, passing very few of them. Tennessee has losses at Kentucky, at LSU and at Alabama in conference play. It does have a win at Vanderbilt and at Colorado, which might be a little closer to the level of play for Texas lately.

This game figures to be a close game between two teams trying to scramble their ways back to the top. We've seen some erratic performances recently, but one can't help but be impressed by Texas' demolition of a good TCU team in their place last time out. Look for the Longhorns to use that game as a springboard into this one, grabbing another resume-building victory in a defensive battle.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS VS. TEXAS LONGHORNS BETTING TRENDS

Tennessee is 1-4 ATS in the past five games as an underdog.
Tennessee is 2-5 ATS in the past seven as a road underdog.
Texas is 2-4 ATS in the past six games overall.
The UNDER is 10-4 in the past 14 games for Tennessee.
The OVER is 4-0 in the past four for Tennessee vs. winning teams.
The OVER is 5-2 in the past seven as a road 'dog for Tennessee.
The UNDER is 10-4 in the past 14 home games for Texas.
The UNDER is 10-4 in the past 14 as a home favorite for Texas.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson