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Tennessee vs. Texas A&M Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Saturday, Feb. 10 (Take Vols at Discount)

By Reed Wallach

Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler (5) and Dalton Knecht (3) talk as they take to the floor to start the NCAA
Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler (5) and Dalton Knecht (3) talk as they take to the floor to start the NCAA / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY
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Tennessee's push for an SEC crown continues on the road in a matchup against an elite defense of Texas A&M.

The Aggies are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and are desperate for a quality win against a team of Tennessee's stature, but do the Vols have the offensive firepower to outpace a struggling Texas A&M offense?

Here's our full betting preview for Saturday night's matchup in College Station.

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Tennessee vs. Texas A&M Odds, Spread and Total

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Texas A&M vs. Tennessee Betting Trends

  • Texas A&M is 3-7 against the spread (ATS) over the last 10 games
  • Tennessee is 10-12 ATS this season
  • Tennessee has gone OVER in 13 of 22 games this season

Tennessee vs. Texas A&M How to Watch

  • Date: Saturday, February 10th
  • Game Time: 8:00 PM EST
  • Venue: Reed Arena
  • How to Watch (TV) ESPN:
  • Tennessee Record: 17-5
  • Texas A&M Record: 14-8

Tennessee vs. Texas A&M Key Players to Watch

Tennessee

Dalton Knecht: The leader of the Vols offense has scored 25 or more in seven of the last eight games, with the lone game being the team's 103-point outing against Kentucky last Saturday. It's been a team effort, but Knecht's impact can't be understated with his ability to generate buckets from all over the floor. The Northern Colorado transfer is shooting 48% from the field and 39% from three while getting to the line more than five times per game.

Texas A&M

Wade Taylor IV: A near-20 point per game scorer, Taylor is a tenacious ball handler that has been making his mark at the free throw line. He is shooting only 30% from beyond the arc, but gets to the line six times per game and shoots nearly 83% from there. Taylor has scored in double figures in all but one game in SEC play, topping out at 41 against Arkansas. Can he put together a massive outing against Tennessee, one of the best defenses in the country?

Tennessee vs. Texas A&M Prediction and Pick

From Saturday's Daily Dunk:

Texas A&M may be in a good spot to score a necessary win to ensure an NCAA Tournament appearance, but boy are you going to have to pay for it.

Tennessee is favored by four according to KenPom, five per Bart Torvik and three-and-a-half per Haslametrics.

So, why are the Vols, a true National Championship threat, laying only a bucket on the road? This is the same team that closed inside of a bucket to Kentucky last weekend, and proceeded to win in a wire-to-wire double digit win. Sure, this is a new opponent with an elite defense, but this market is baking in the "spot" for the Aggies to knock off a highly ranked team way more than necessary.

So, I'll play against it.

Texas A&M's offense is one of the worst offenses in the nation, hell bent on mucking the game up by getting to the free throw line and grabbing offensive rebounds to offset the team's dismal shooting. Led by Wade Taylor IV, the Aggies are tops in free throw rate as well as offensive rebounding percentage, negating the team's SEC worst effective field goal percentage.

The Aggies defense is formidable, playing a compact morphing zone scheme that allows teams to hoist from deep. Opponents are shooting three's on nearly 46% of its field goal attempts, but Tennessee's ability to shoot from the perimeter is a serious concern.

Given the Aggies' inability to shoot, any team with a pulse from the perimeter can out-pace the home team. Just ask Ole Miss, who went to Reed Arena, shot 41% from three (10/24) and won by three.

Tennessee is the top offense in the SEC. With Dalton Knecht giving the team a scoring punch from inside and out to take attention away from the likes of deadeye shooters like Santiago Vescovi, the offense is as versatile in Knoxville as its been in years.

Maybe the Aggies are as good to win this game at home as the market is saying, but the proof is in the pudding that is the season long metrics that are indicating that you are getting a serious discount with one of the best teams in the country.

I'll happily grab it.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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