The 14th ranked Texas A&M Aggies (6-1) are on the road to take on the Virginia Cavaliers for the ACC/SEC Challenge. This game will continue our college basketball odds series as we hand out a Texas A&M-Virginia prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Texas A&M has gotten off to a 6-1 start, and their one loss came against a ranked Florida Atlantic team. The Aggies do have power-5 wins over Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa State, though. Wade Taylor IV is following up his solid sophomore season with an even better junior year. He is averaging 20.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists through the first seven games. Henry Coleman is off to his best start of his college career as he averages 14.2 points, and 8.3 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 72.1% from the floor.
Virginia could definitely make the argument that they should be ranked, but their loss to Wisconsin dropped them from the rankings. Virgnia has beaten Florida this season, but that is looking like their only solid win up to this point. Reece Beekman has been the top scorer for Virginia as he is scoring 11.8 points per game. He also leads the team in assists per game with 5.8. Ryan Dunn is right behind Beekman with 10.3 points per game, and he grabs 7.0 rebounds to go along with his scoring. Both of those players are solid on defense as they average 2.8 steals per game each.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Texas A&M-Virginia Odds
Texas A&M: +2.5 (-110)
Virginia: -2.5 (-110)
Over: 126.5 (-110)
Under: 126.5 (-110)
How to Watch Texas A&M vs. Virginia
Time: 7:15 PM ET/4:15 PM PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Texas A&M Will Cover The Spread
Texas A&M scores almost 80 points per game, but there will be struggles in this one. Virginia is one of the best defensive teams in the country, so the Aggies have to be ready for that. In order for Texas A&M to come out on top in this one, they must match the defensive intensity of Virginia. Rge good news is Virginia is not a great offensive team. They score just 65.3 points per game, nd shoot just 44.5 percent from the field. In their last two games, Virginia is scoring less than 50 points per game. If Texas A&M can frustrate the Virginia offense, they will cover this spread.
Why Virginia Will Cover The Spread
Virginia will win this game on the defensive side of the court. Through the early part of the season, the Cavaliers are second in scoring defense. They allow just 53.8 points per game, and that is nothing new for them. Virginia has been known to be one of the best defensive teams in the nation for years now. Virginia holds opponents to the sixth-worst field goal percentage in all of the NCAA. If Virginia can continue to play good defense, they will cover this spread.
Playing good defense should not be hard for Virginia in this game. The Aggies are not a good shooting team. They love to speed up the pace, which results in more shots, but they just do not make a lot of them. They shoot just 43.9 percent from the floor, and 28.8 percent from deep. Their percentage from deep is 308th in all of college basketball. As long as Virginia plays their game, they should win this game.
Final Texas A&M-Virginia Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a tough game, and it is never easy to predict college basketball. However, I am going to put my money on Virginia. They are very good on defense, and this is their home game. It is hard to win on the road in college, so I expect Texas A&M to have a rough game.
Final Texas A&M-Virginia Prediction & Pick: Virginia -2.5 (-110), Under 126.5 (-110)
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