Tennessee basketball's quarterfinal opponent is set. In-state rivals Texas and Texas A&M faced off in the second round of the SEC Tournament, and the winner will face the Vols on Friday.
Texas stunned the Aggies with a 94-89 win. The No. 13 seed Longhorns won their 19th game of the year and will look to keep its postseason hopes alive with a deep run in the SEC Tournament.
The Tennessee-Texas matchup favors the Vols, as the two teams faced off earlier this season. Tennessee won the matchup 74-70 in Austin, Texas, to earn a much-needed SEC road win.
Texas had been in control for much of the game, bringing the physicality they had to play with to have a chance to beat A&M. The game plan looked similar to Rick Barnes' game plan against the Aggies earlier this year, and the Longhorns saw similar success.
Despite the early success, a halftime lead, and a second-half advantage, Texas A&M did just enough right in the final minutes to overcome a nine-point deficit over the final eight minutes of the game.
It took the Longhorns two overtime periods to put down the Aggies and eliminate them from the SEC Tournament, but Trey Johnson and the Longhorns showed up in the second overtime period to end the Aggies' conference tournament hopes.
The rematch in the Volunteer State should give Tennessee the upper hand in the stands and comfortability. The Vols are also coming into the game fresh, while Texas is coming off an emotional overtime rivalry win.
Tennessee's physicality also sets the Vols apart from these two programs. Both can be physical, but as we saw in the Vols' matchup earlier in the year, Tennessee is the better, more physical team and can lean on its physicality and toughness to win its quarterfinal game.
The Vols and Longhorns will play Friday in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Tip-off will be after the Auburn-Ole Miss game at 1:00 PM ET.