The Tennessee Volunteers take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Tennessee Mississippi State prediction and pick. Find how to watch Tennessee Mississippi State.

This is a fascinating SEC game. Tennessee would generally be viewed by college basketball experts as a clearly superior team to Mississippi State, but the Vols and Bulldogs have identical 11-3 records. While it is true that Tennessee won its opener in league play and MSU lost its first SEC game of the season, these teams have both been solid and not transcendent. Tennessee probably has a higher ceiling than Mississippi State, but the Vols have been up and down this season. They have sometimes looked great, as shown in their recent win over Ole Miss and also in a solid early-season win over Wisconsin, but they have also looked pedestrian, particularly in a loss to North Carolina. Is Tennessee the clear-cut SEC championship favorite? It's probably too early to say. The potential exists for the Vols to do that, but they need to establish high-level consistency over the next few weeks in order to earn the benefit of the doubt in their conference.

Mississippi State missed star Tolu Smith in a number of its early-season games. The Bulldogs have the star forward back in their lineup, but he isn't playing maximum minutes yet. Smith logged 20 minutes — not quite starter-level minutes — in this past Saturday's loss to South Carolina. If the Bulldogs can get Smith to play 30 minutes per game (when he builds up his fitness base), they will be in much better shape. Whether Smith is fit enough to play 30 minutes in this game is uncertain. This creates a layer of mystery for this game.

Here are the Tennessee-Mississippi State College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Tennessee-Mississippi State Odds

Tennessee Volunteers: -2.5 (-102)

Mississippi State Bulldogs: +2.5 (-120)

Over: 137.5 (-110)

Under: 137.5 (-110)

How To Watch Tennessee vs Mississippi State

Time: 7:00 pm ET / 4:00 pm PT

TV: SEC Network

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Tennessee Could Cover the Spread

The Vols looked excellent against Ole Miss on Saturday, giving the Rebels the first loss of their season. Tennessee offenses have often faltered under head coach Rick Barnes, but that did not happen against Ole Miss. The Vols looked very sharp and in sync. They were active and organized at both ends of the floor. Tennessee is often an all-defense, low-offense team. When the Vols get production at both ends of the court, that's when they're extremely hard to beat.

Mississippi State did not look ready for the rigors of the SEC season in its loss to South Carolina this past season. MSU will need to be much better, not merely slightly better, in order to beat Tennessee at home. If Tolu Smith plays just 20 minutes, it is highly unlikely the Bulldogs will be able to grab a win here.

Why Mississippi State Could Cover the Spread

The Bulldogs are coming off a loss, so they are going to be very mad entering this game. They know they will have a point to prove. Also, with Tolu Smith working his way back into the lineup, he should be ready to play at the level the Bulldogs need to win this game. MSU, playing at home, will have an energized crowd supporting it. That all adds up to a situation which lines up well for the Bulldogs.

Final Tennessee-Mississippi State Prediction & Pick

This game feels like a toss-up. Stay away from this one.

Final Tennessee-Mississippi State Prediction & Pick: Tennessee -2.5