Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Tennessee Volunteers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Mississippi State vs Tennessee NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Knoxville.

Mississippi State vs Tennessee Prediction

Betting on today's Bulldogs and Volunteers game? Catch the action at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, TN, as the Volunteers hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN2. The odds for this Southeastern conference game currently have Tennessee as the -7.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 140.5 points.

Mississippi State vs. Tennessee Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Mississippi State Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers
Where: Knoxville at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
Date: Tuesday, January 21st
Betting Odds TENN -7.5, MSPST +248 | TENN -320 O/U 140.5

Bulldogs Preview: Can Mississippi State Stun the Crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center?

Mississippi State Bulldogs Recent Game/Games

Mississippi State improved to 15-3 on the season with an 84-81 win over Ole Miss on Saturday. The Bulldogs were favored by 5.5 points but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 165 exceeded the over/under line of 147.5.

Mississippi State led 37-29 at halftime but allowed 45 points in the second half while scoring 37 themselves. Despite the defensive lapse, they managed to hold on for the win.

Bulldogs Offense Breakdown

Mississippi State put up 84 points in their last game, shooting 44.6% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 52.3%. They hit 9 of 27 from beyond the arc, shooting 33.3%, and went 17 for 28 from the free-throw line, hitting 60.7% of their attempts.

KeShawn Murphy had a strong performance, shooting 66.7% from the field and grabbing 11 rebounds. Riley Kugel led the team with 21 points, knocking down 4 of 8 from three-point range, while Jaemyn Brakefield added 20 points, hitting 3 of 5 from deep.

Bulldogs Team Defense

Mississippi State's defense gave up 81 points, with the opposing team shooting 44% from the field, hitting 29 of their 65 attempts. Inside the arc, they connected on 52% of their shots, going 20/38.

From three-point range, the other team shot 33%, making 9 of 27 attempts. They also went to the free-throw line 28 times, converting 17 for 60%. Mississippi State allowed 19 offensive rebounds.

Volunteers Preview: Can the Volunteers Hold Strong at Home?

Tennessee Volunteers Recent Game/Games

Tennessee’s season record dropped to 16-2 after a narrow 76-75 road loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Volunteers, who were -5.5 favorites, not only lost the game but also failed to cover the spread.

After trailing 41-35 at halftime, Tennessee outscored Vanderbilt 40-35 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough for the win. The game’s total points of 151 exceeded the over/under line of 142.5.

Volunteers Offense Breakdown

Tennessee's offense put up 75 points in their last game, shooting 48% from the field and 47.6% from three-point range, hitting 10 of 21 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 58%, and they connected on 81% of their free throws, going 17 for 21.

Felix Okpara was perfect from the field, hitting all 7 of his shots, while Zakai Zeigler dished out 10 assists. Jason Edwards led the team with 18 points, and Chaz Lanier hit 4 threes, shooting 66.7% from beyond the arc.

Volunteers Team Defense

Even with Tennessee giving up 76 points, the Volunteers couldn't capitalize, as they allowed their opponent to shoot 46% from the field. Tennessee's defense struggled to contain inside scoring, with their opponent hitting 51% of their two-point attempts (18/35).

From beyond the arc, Tennessee's defense allowed 8 threes on 21 attempts, a 38% shooting rate. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 19 times, where they converted 16 free throws, shooting 84%. Tennessee gave up 12 offensive rebounds as well.

Bulldogs vs Volunteers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Mississippi State has played well in their previous three road games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 73 points per game while allowing 72. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
Although Tennessee has a straight up record of 7-3 in their last ten home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 4-5-1. The team averaged 71 points per game in these games.
As the betting underdog, the Bulldogs have an ATS mark of just 1-2 in their last three games. Mississippi State posted a straight up mark of 0-3 in these matchups.
Against the spread, the Volunteers have put together 1-2 in their last three games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 2-1 straight up.