The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers will be trying to add a marquee win to their resume when they face the No. 10 Texas Longhorns on Saturday night in the 2023 SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Tennessee has bounced back from a loss to Kentucky with three consecutive wins, blowing out Georgia in a 70-41 final earlier this week to remain in second place in the SEC standings. Texas has won five of its last six games and is tied for first place in the Big 12. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, who was the head coach at Texas from 1998-2015, will take on his former program for the second time. The Vols lost 52-51 in Austin last season.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET. The Volunteers are favored by 5.5 points in the latest Tennessee vs. Texas odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 134. Before entering any Texas vs. Tennessee picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 12 of the season 45-26 on all top-rated college basketball picks, returning more than $1,100 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Tennessee vs. Texas. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Texas vs. Tennessee:
- Tennessee vs. Texas spread: Tennessee -5.5
- Tennessee vs. Texas over/under: 134 points
- Tennessee vs. Texas money line: Tennessee -225, Texas +185
- Tennessee vs. Texas picks: See picks here
Why Tennessee can cover
Tennessee has cruised to three double-digit wins since its loss to Kentucky two weeks ago, beating Mississippi State, LSU and Georgia. The Vols held Georgia to 29.1% shooting and a 4 of 22 mark from 3-point range in the 70-41 blowout on Wednesday, marking Georgia's lowest point total of the season. Zakai Zeigler led Tennessee with 11 points in a game where nine different Vols scored five or more points.
They have been dominant this season, with 11 of their 17 wins coming by at least 20 points, which is tied for the most in a season in program history. The Vols have the top-ranked defense in college basketball entering Saturday's contest, and they have covered the spread in five of their last six games against Big 12 teams. Texas has only covered the spread five times in its last 15 games, and it is winless against the spread in five straight games against SEC teams.
Why Texas can cover
Texas comes into this game having won five of its last six contests, beating Oklahoma State by 14 points on Tuesday night. Brock Cunningham scored a career-high 15 points, while Marcus Carr had 21 points and Timmy Allen added 17. The Longhorns have now won 10 of their 12 games under interim head coach Rodney Terry, who took over the team in mid-December when Chris Beard was suspended and later fired.
They built an eight-point lead at halftime and never let Oklahoma State get within six points in the second half. Carr, a senior guard, leads Texas with 17.6 points and 4.3 assists per game, while Allen is one of three other players averaging 10-plus points per game. Tennessee had a massive letdown performance against Kentucky at home two weeks ago, so the Vols will have to overcome that mental hurdle on Saturday night.
How to make Tennessee vs. Texas picks
The model has simulated Texas vs. Tennessee 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Tennessee vs. Texas? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is 45-26 on its top-rated college basketball picks this season, and find out.
