#6 Tennessee vs #7 Texas A&M NCAAB Pick: Another Top-10 Clash in the SEC (Feb 22)

• Tennessee surged back to defeat Vanderbilt on Saturday, winning 81-76.
• Texas A&M struggled on offense against Mississippi State, losing 70-54.
• These teams last met on February 24, 2024, in a game Tennessee won 86-51.

One of the top SEC rivalries takes place in our Tennessee vs Texas A&M pick. The Aggies will lean on their home-court advantage in an attempt to bounce back from their brutal defeat to Mississippi State.

Tennessee Heating Back Up

Tennessee rose to the #1 spot in the country at the beginning of the year, after starting out 14-0. SEC play has not been as kind to the Volunteers, who went 3-4 in the three weeks after their sensational start. However, Tennessee is finally heating back up. They are 4-1 in February, with notable wins over Florida and Missouri. Their win over Vanderbilt showed a lot of grit.

A slow start almost cost them against the Commodores, but Tennessee managed to earn the victory. Senior Zakai Zeigler had a notable impact, finishing the night with 22 points and 8 assists. Zeigler ranks 4th in the nation in assists, averaging 7.5 per game. His dynamic ability to find an open teammate has helped to hold up an otherwise inconsistent Volunteers offense.

Texas A&M Flying Under Radar

From 2012 to 2022, Texas A&M made the NCAA Tournament just two times. Though they missed the tourney in 2022, the Aggies got red-hot down the stretch and wound up making the NIT final. They carried some momentum into the last two seasons, finally returning to the tourney. This season, Texas A&M is finally more than a bubble team. They are a legit contender.

As good as Texas A&M has looked this year under 6th-year head coach Buzz Williams, they continue to fly under the radar. Unfortunately, the Aggies took a brutal loss to Mississippi State on Tuesday. The 16-point defeat isn’t helping their case for a 3-seed or better. They’ll be leaning on veteran Wade Taylor IV to bounce back at home in this game against Tennessee.

Tennessee Volunteers vs Texas A&M Aggies Pick

It’s hard to go against the tremendous advantage that being at home provides in college basketball, especially between two evenly-matched teams. That being said, the Aggies have not looked all that strong on offense. They haven’t reached 70 points in five games and 80 since January 8. Tennessee’s suffocating defense will likely keep Texas A&M under 65 points.