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The Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Texas A&M Aggies. Our college basketball odds series has our Arkansas Texas A&M prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Arkansas Texas A&M.
The SEC basketball season has been a bumpy ride for these two former Southwest Conference schools. Arkansas and Texas A&M met in the 2022 SEC Tournament semifinals, with Arkansas winning and earning a spot in the title game against Tennessee. Texas A&M felt it had done enough to make the NCAA Tournament, beating top-seeded Auburn in the semifinals. However, the Aggies did not get invited to the Big Dance, meaning that Arkansas was the team which kept them out.
Texas A&M and Arkansas meet in this game as fellow bubble teams. Arkansas did a lot of good work in the nonconference portion of its season but has stumbled in SEC play. Texas A&M has been just the opposite, picking up a number of bad nonconference losses but thriving in SEC competition. The Aggies have lost only two SEC games to this point in the season. They are in second place in the conference race, trailing only unbeaten Alabama. Those different paths have led these teams to the same position: on the bubble. Both teams are more likely than not to get into the NCAA Tournament, but they don’t have a large margin for error. They need to accumulate wins so that when Selection Sunday arrives on March 12, the Aggies and Razorbacks won’t be sweating bullets. They will be able to make travel plans to that first-round site.
Here are the Arkansas-Texas A&M college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: Arkansas-Texas A&M Odds
Arkansas Razorbacks: +3.5 (-102)
Texas A&M Aggies: -3.5 (-120)
Over: 137.5 (-110)
Under: 137.5 (-110)
How To Watch Arkansas vs. Texas A&M
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Arkansas-Texas A&M LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Arkansas Could Cover The Spread
If the Texas A&M Aggies want to reach the NCAA Tournament, they have to go through Arkansas. That is not a reassuring prospect for A&M. The Hogs won the SEC Tournament semifinal last March, but much more relevant is that Arkansas played one of its best offensive games of 2023 against A&M in a win over the Aggies a few weeks ago. Arkansas scored 81 points and was in control most of the way. Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams is a defense-first coach, but Arkansas had answers for him and the rest of the Aggies. That point can’t be ignored.
Meanwhile, Arkansas — with star freshman Nick Smith back in the lineup — has a higher ceiling. It’s true this doesn’t guarantee that Arkansas will play better. However, Smith is an exceptional talent with a bright NBA future. He got reintegrated into the team’s lineup on Saturday against Mississippi State. After that chance to get his feet wet and truly reorient himself to the speed of live college basketball, Smith should be better in this game, and that should be an important point of leverage for the Hogs.
Why Texas A&M Could Cover The Spread
The Hogs were a mess on Saturday in a home-court loss to Mississippi State. The idea that Nick Smith’s return would instantly transform Arkansas back into a Final Four or national championship contender were ludicrous. The benefit for Arkansas is that it has a full month to incorporate Smith into the lineup and the overall rotation. In the short term, however, there will be hiccups and false starts, much like the one against Mississippi State. Texas A&M is playing at home. Having already lost to Arkansas by 11 points this season, the Aggies have to think their chances of figuring things out in a home-court rematch are very good.
Final Arkansas-Texas A&M Prediction & Pick
Stay away from this game. Both teams urgently want to prevail, but neither team is a squad you can or should feel comfortable betting on. Just sit this one out.
Final Arkansas-Texas A&M Prediction & Pick: Texas A&M -3.5