Tennessee Vols SEC Tournament Championship preview vs. Texas A&M: Live stream, broadcast info, line, odds, prediction
After a huge 69-62win over the Kentucky Wildcats Saturday, who were ranked No. 5 in both polls, Tennessee basketball is in its third SEC Tournament Championship game over the past four times the event was held. The Vols once again have a chance to win the event, which they have failed to do in over 40 years.
Rick Barnes’ team, ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll, is the No. 2 seed in the event and will hose the No. 8 seed Texas A&M Aggies. UT beat them earlier in the season 90-80, which was part of an eight-game SEC winning streak at the time.
Buzz Williams’ Aggies are red-hot, though, on a seven-game winning streak. In this SEC Tournament, they beat the Florida Gators and then upset the Auburn Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks. Here is all the information you need for this title game.
534. Tampa, Fla.. Amalie Arena. Sunday, March 13. 25-7 (14-4). 1 p.m. ET. 23-11 (9-9(. 535
Broadcast information
- TV: ESPN
- Live stream: WatchESPN
- Radio: Vol Network; Texas A&M Aggies Sports Network
- Listen online: UTSports; 12thMan.com
Gambling odds according to WynnBET
- Line: Tennessee -6.5
- Over/Under: 131
- Moneyline: Tennessee -300; Texas A&M +240
If you’re wondering what has carried A&M through this shocking run, it’s three point shooting. They are 25-of-48 from beyond the arc the past three games, or just over 51 percent, and haven’t shot worse than 50 percent in any game despite shooting 33.5 percent for the year.
This is how they were able to blow out the Hogs by 18 Saturday and how they led Auburn by over 20 on Friday. They’ve gotten hotter as the tournament has gone on, which could be a scary sign for Barnes and his kids if they aren’t careful. Even scarier, although A&M is likely in, they are still a bubble team, so they will be more desperate Sunday.
On the other side, UT benefitted Saturday from Kentucky shooting a horrendous 2-of-20 from three. Defense has been what got them through the whole season and to this title game, as they beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs before beating Kentucky and held their foes to 59 and 62 points respectively.
Prediction
There’s no way A&M can continue this run from the outside. It’s got to give at some point, and a defensive oriented team like the Vols is the best chance for it to end. UT has played consistent defense all year, and they are shooting the ball well too. As a result, the Vols will actually win comfortably once again.
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Take Tennessee -6.5. Their three-point shooting will stay fine, and A&M will get hit with the law of averages. A&M’s bad shooting that it’s overdue for will result in the game hitting the Under 131 as well. The score will look something like this: Tennessee 69 Texas A&M 61.