The Tennessee Volunteers take on the Missouri Tigers. Check out our SEC Tournament odds series for our Tennessee Missouri prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Tennessee Missouri.
The Tennessee Volunteers played their way out of a first-round bye at the SEC Tournament by losing a bunch of games in the stretch run of the season. One of those losses was a buzzer-beating defeat at home against the Missouri Tigers. Without that loss, Tennessee wouldn't have had to play a second-round SEC Tournament game on Thursday against Ole Miss, the No. 13 seed in the tournament. The Vols would have been able to get an extra day of rest and prepare more fully for their Friday quarterfinal. As it is, the Vols are in the quarters, but they come in having played an extra game. This makes their challenge of winning the SEC Tournament that much greater. They need to win four games in four days instead of only three games in three days. Part of the reality for coach Rick Barnes is that he has to manage minutes for his Tennessee players so that they can stay fresh not only for this game, but for a potential SEC semifinal game on Saturday if UT can get through Missouri. Such is conference tournament basketball, where there are no days off and teams have to find ways to manage their resources in ways which don't apply during the regular season.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Tennessee-Missouri SEC Tournament odds.
SEC Tournament Odds: Tennessee-Missouri Odds
Tennessee Volunteers: -5.5 (-115)
Missouri Tigers: +5.5 (-105)
Over: 138.5 (-115)
Under: 138.5 (-105)
How To Watch Tennessee vs. Missouri
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. PT
*Watch Tennessee-Missouri LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Tennessee Could Cover the Spread
The Vols are going to want revenge for their loss to Missouri. If you look at Missouri's recent performances, the Tigers have not played particularly well since that win against Tennessee. Missouri very nearly lost at LSU, playing the worst team in the SEC and struggling most of the way. The Tigers barely beat a bad Ole Miss team at home. They did not look like the team which blitzed Kentucky earlier in the SEC season and was delivering authoritative performances on its home court. Missouri's halfcourt defense has regressed. The Tigers know that Tennessee is a limited offensive team, but they are not playing well enough at the defensive end of the floor to take advantage of that. Tennessee's defense, on the other hand, can reliably be expected to show up and put the clamps on Mizzou. The Tigers have not evolved and improved in recent weeks, and against an opponent which is likely to be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, that spells trouble for Missouri.
Why Missouri Could Cover the Spread
The Vols are facing a Missouri team which has been sliding in recent weeks, but conference tournaments are often an occasion in which teams which have been struggling find new energy and inspiration. The fact that Missouri is coming into this game with an extra day of rest, while Tennessee had to play on Thursday due to its failure to get a bye into the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament, gives Mizzou a crucial edge. Tennessee is also playing without injured guard Zakai Zeigler, a core part of the rotation and a very good defensive player. The Vols lack the same amount of depth they previously had. Missouri can make use of that, especially with the extra day of rest the Tigers gained by snatching that first-round bye from the Vols' grasp.
Final Tennessee-Missouri Prediction & Pick
Tennessee has a chance to get revenge on Missouri. The Vols have their flaws, but they won't show up in this game.
Final Tennessee-Missouri Prediction & Pick: Tennessee -5.5
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