Texas A&M vs Tennessee Odds, Prediction: Can Aggies Keep It Close?

It's time to take a look at the Texas A&M Aggies vs. Tennessee Volunteers odds and make a prediction for Saturday's SEC college basketball game.

The Texas A&M Aggies grabbed a huge win over the Tennessee Volunteers in College Station a few weeks ago.

It'll look different this time around as the Aggies hit the road, but how will they fare coming off a tough home loss against Arkansas? Let's dive in.

A few weeks ago, the Aggies looked like a lock for the NCAA Tournament. However, the past three games have shown that no team is ever truly a lock. Texas A&M lost a pair of Quad 3 games against Vanderbilt and Arkansas and now faces a potential four-game losing streak if it can’t pull off a stunning sweep over the top-10 ranked Volunteers.

Texas A&M's first-shot offense is very subpar, posting a 45% effective field-goal percentage (346th nationally) and a bottom-five 3-point field-goal percentage.

I mentioned the first-shot offense because the Aggies' overall offense isn’t awful and ranks 44th in offensive efficiency. However, their success typically comes after grabbing offensive rebounds, and nobody in the sport cleans up the offensive glass more than Texas A&M. Andersson Garcia is an instrumental piece in the offensive rebounding attack, ranking top-20 in individual offensive rebounding percentage.

Beyond scoring from offensive rebounds, the Aggies only have two reliable scoring options — Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford.

Taylor leads the team with and average of 19 points and four assists per game, but shows streaky scoring tendencies. He scored 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting against Tennessee in the first meeting, and Texas A&M will need a similar performance Saturday.

Radford loves using his strength to attack the basket and the two make a great 1-2 punch, but Texas A&M doesn't have much else in terms of scoring.

The biggest issue on the opposite end is defending the perimeter. Opponents shoot 37% from 3 and attempt 3s on 44% of their field goals. That’s a ridiculously high number on both fronts.

Tennessee is clearly a top-10 team. I believe this squad has the best chance to make an NCAA Tournament run since the Grant Williams/Admiral Schofield days. Why?

Offense.

Tennessee boasts one of the most improved offense in the country and is led by All-American candidate Dalton Knecht. The 6-foot-6 dominant scoring guard has morphed into a potential lottery pick due to his ability to score from all three levels. When Knecht is rolling, he has a different gear than most and can quickly rattle off 10-15 consecutive points.

The scariest part for opponents?

Santiago Vescovi is having the worst season of his career, averaging 7.4 points per game on 35% shooting from 3. Vescovi is a former All-SEC First Team selection, so if he starts shooting more and finding his confidence, Tennessee will essentially add another weapon to its arsenal.

Some people expressed fear about the offensive improvements coming at the defense's expense, but that hasn’t happened. In fact, Tennessee is fifth nationally in defensive efficiency.

I don’t see Texas A&M getting totally blown out in this one. The Aggies have enough pieces and if the game speed is slower, it'll favor them.

Tennessee is awesome on both ends but does struggle on the defensive glass at times. I love the Aggies even more if there are some rebounding troubles.

Pick: Texas A&M +11

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