The No.8 (AP and KenPom) ranked Tennessee Volunteers enter the SEC Tournament after a loss to Auburn last Saturday. Currently priced at +1,100 to win the 2019 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament, the Vols’ are looking to get off shaky ground by making an example of their opponent this Friday, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (+12,500), who just made an example out of Texas A&M on Thursday. This is shaping up to be a closely contested game.
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Betting Preview for the Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Tennessee Volunteers SEC Tournament College Basketball Game on March 15, 2019
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
When: Friday, March 15, 2019, 9 PM ET
Line: Mississippi State Bulldogs (odds) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (23-9 Overall / 11-8 Conference)
Mississippi State took a big bite out of the Texas A&M Aggies in the first half of their Thursday night game, heading into the last 20-minutes with a 38-23 lead. They kept their Nikes on the necks of the Aggies throughout, and ended the game with a final score of 80-54.
The Bulldogs didn’t fare so well when they last faced this Friday’s opponent. Just ten days ago (March 5) they lost by 17 points and couldn’t get things done against the Volunteers’ defense, which is not something Tennessee is known for. Guard Tyson Carter was the leading scorer with only 14-points which says it all. Robert Woodward II and Reggie Perry each contributed 10 points in the losing effort.
MS State averages 77.3 ppg with a 47.1 field goal percentage going into their meeting with Tennessee.
In the SEC this season, the Bulldogs are against the spread (ATS) overall and ATS after a win in the conference.
Betting on the Tennessee Volunteers (27-4 Overall / 15-3 Conference)
Unlike most of the top AP Poll ranked teams heading into the conference tournaments, Tennessee lost it’s prior weekend game, in a stunner to the Auburn Tigers who went off in the second half, winning the final 20-minutes by ten points to close out the game 84-80. Tennessee starting offense did their job, with four players in double digits and pulling in 15 offensive rebounds to Auburn’s 10, but alas the Vols’ sloppy turnovers (13) at the wrong moments were once again their undoing.
However, you’d better believe Tennessee is feeling good about their matchup against MS State this Friday. A win against the Bulldogs is a recent memory, literally last week as the Vols put the Bulldogs in the dog house, winning 71-54. It wasn’t a super proud moment though, as both teams shot poor from beyond the arc (26.1% for Tennessee) and turned the ball over often (15 for Tennessee), with only a 4 rebound differential. It was all about the field goal percentage, with the Vol’s hitting for 42.6% to MS State’s dismal 33.3% (whose average this season is 47.1%).
The Volunteers are averaging 82.3 ppg and shooting 49.9% from the field going into the tournament. In the SEC this season, Tennessee is 15-14-1 ATS overall and 0-2-1 ATS after a loss in the conference.
Writer’s Prediction
Tennessee squeaks out a win 84-82.
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