The Texas Longhorns take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, TN. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Tennessee is favored by 10.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -600. The total is set at 152 points.
Here’s my Texas vs. Tennessee prediction and college basketball picks for January 6, 2026.
Texas vs. Tennessee Odds, Spread, Pick
| Texas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -110 | 152 -115o / -105u | +450 |
| Tennessee Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -110 | 152 -115o / -105u | -600 |
My Pick: Tennessee -9.5 (Play to -10.5)
My Texas vs Tennessee best bet is on the Volunteers to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Texas vs Tennessee NCAAB Betting Preview
Texas Basketball
Texas comes into this game 9-5 after its overtime loss to Mississippi State. Three of its five losses have been against top 25 teams, and the other two losses were a one-point defeat to Arizona State and that previously mentioned defeat against Mississippi State.
I mentioned all that to say, this isn't a bad team. Texas is one of the oldest teams in the country; the Longhorns hardly turn the ball over and have shown their toughness night in and night out in Sean Miller's first year.
Dailyn Swain and Matas Vokietaitis lead the team in scoring at 16 points per game. Swain is coming off a career game, where he scored 34-points on 10-of-18 from the field.
Swain is listed at 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, but he has a quick first step for his size, uses it to his advantage and scores in the paint consistently.
Vokietaitis is a 7-foot sophomore who's efficient around the rim and does a very good job at drawing fouls. His 16 points per game come off 7.4 shot attempts.
An X-factor for Texas in this matchup is sixth-year senior Tramon Mark. Over the last four games, Mark is averaging 17.5 points per game on 51% shooting from the field. He'll have a tough ask against Tennessee's defense.
If Texas has any chance to pull off an upset, Mark needs to continue to be relied on.
Tennessee Basketball
Tennessee is coming off an 86-75 loss to Arkansas, but the final score doesn't reflect how close the game was for about 35 minutes. Tennessee is 3-4 in its last seven games, but it still has a top-15 defense, according to KenPom.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie leads the team in scoring, but when he shoots poorly, Tennessee becomes vulnerable.
During Tennessee's three-game losing streak earlier this season, Gillespie shot 11-of-51 (22%) from the field and 4-of-22 (18%) from 3.
Tennessee went on to win three straight after the losing streak, and during that stretch, Gillespie shot 18-of-36 (50%) from the field and 39% from deep.
Sometimes winning and losing is that simple. When your best player plays the best, you win the game; when he doesn't, your team loses.
I like Gillespie to have a bounce-back outing at home against the Longhorns' backcourt.
Nate Ament has to show physical toughness against a Texas frontcourt that held Cam Boozer scoreless in the first half during the Longhorns' season-opener.
Ament doesn't shoot it great from 3 and is hitting 48% around the rim this season, so he'll need to pick his spots and do his best to get to the free-throw line.
A name to watch out for is Amari Evans. Evans' role should significantly increase in this game after scoring 16-points on 7-of-7 from the field against Arkansas.
Texas vs. Tennessee Betting Analysis
Texas may make things tough for Tennessee to start the game, especially if the Longhorns are able to take Ament out of the game.
As I alluded to earlier, though, Tennessee is 3-4 in its last seven, but it has a top-15 defense on KenPom. The Vols will make things difficult for Texas in the half-court.
Texas doesn't shoot well from deep (32.8%) and Tennessee has one of the better 3-point defenses in the country at 28%, thus I expect Texas to have some trouble scoring.
Most importantly, Tennessee is the best offensive rebounding team in the country, grabbing a second chance 45% of the time. Though Texas does a good job of limiting offensive rebounding opportunities, I think Tennessee steals a few more possessions and covers the spread.
My Pick: Tennessee -9.5 (Play to -10.5)
