Tennessee Volunteers vs Texas A&M Aggies

No. 6 Tennessee has won four of five, including a rout of No. 5 Florida (64-44) and a win over No. 15 Missouri (85-81). The defense is third in the nation in points given up (60.5 per game) and they're third in the SEC from the free-throw line (.737). They lost at No. 1 Auburn last month, 53-51, as a +6.5 underdog. Over the past four years, Tennessee's 26 top-25 wins lead the nation. No. 7 Texas A&M is on a 2-3-1 ATS run, coming off a loss to Mississippi State, 70-54. They're last in the SEC from the charity stripe (.667). In the most recent meeting between the teams, Tennessee won, 86-51. Play Tennessee.

Tennessee at 20-6 is considered one of the top teams in the country as they can both score and defend well. Tennessee was completely blown out by Texas A&M 85-69. The line looks suspicious simply because Tennessee has won three straight and Texas A&M has lost three straight since the upset win by A&M. I think those outcomes have the Volunteers forced to play against a betting line that is a little high. The Aggies held Tennessee to their lowest shooting percentage of the season, and if I was a Vol fan I'd be a bit weary about that. Make the play on Texas A&M.

Tennessee is a tough team to play. The Vols really get after it on the defensive end of the court where they rank 5th in points per 100 possessions at 92.2. Since SEC play began the Vols have not sllowed any team to shoor better than 50% against them, and have held four teams to a woeful 36% or less. Texas A&M has really gotten more active on the defensive end in recent games. The Aggies are allowing just 64.6ppg in their last four. I think both teams have been putting a defensive signature on their recent games, and I don't think this one is getting to or out of the 130s. Make the play UNDER the total.

Texas A&M won its seventh in a row 82-64 over Arkansas in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament on Saturday as Quenton Jackson scored 20 points and the Aggies are peaking after an eight-game losing streak earlier in the season. The Aggies shot 51 percent overall and 53 percent from 3-point range and they held the Razorbacks to 3-for-18 on 3-pointers. Texas A&M will try to avenge a 90-80 loss to Tennessee in the only meeting of the season and it has covered five straight versus teams with .600 or higher winning percentages. The Aggies are getting too many points for a team that has covered the spread seven times in a row and Tennessee is just 5-4 ATS its past nine games and the Aggies will shoot better than 34 percent, which is what Kentucky shot against the Volunteers yesterday while missing 18 of 20 3-point tries. Take the points with Texas A&M.