Tennessee vs. Texas odds, score prediction, time: 2024 NCAA ...

A spot in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament will be on the line when the Tennessee Volunteers and Texas Longhorns collide in the second round of the tournament on Saturday in Memphis. Both Tennessee and Texas have reached the Sweet 16 eight times in program history, and both are looking for their second straight trip to the second weekend of the tournament. The Volunteers (25-8) are one of just three SEC teams remaining in the bracket. Meanwhile the Longhorns (21-12) will need to beat the winningest coach in Texas program history, Rick Barnes, in order to reach the Sweet 16. 

Tipoff at the Spectrum Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The Volunteers are favored by 6.5 points in the latest Tennessee vs. Texas odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 145. Before making any Texas vs. Tennessee picks, you need to check out the college basketball analysis from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

The model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Tennessee vs. Texas and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting lines and trends for Texas vs. Tennessee:

• Tennessee vs. Texas spread: Volunteers -6.5
• Tennessee vs. Texas over/under: 145 points
• Tennessee vs. Texas money line: Volunteers -274, Longhorns +223
• TENN: Volunteers rank third in the country in field goal percentage defense (38.6)
• TEXAS: Max Abmas ranks eighth all-time in Div. I history in career points (3,122)
• Tennessee vs. Texas picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Tennessee can cover

Tennessee has one of the best floor generals in the country in Zakai Zeigler. A 5-foot-9 junior from Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler ranks third on the team in scoring (11.8 points per game) while also leading the SEC in assists (6.0 per game). He is also the best defensive player in the conference, having won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award.

In addition, the Volunteers enter the game knowing they dominated the Longhorns the last time these teams met. In January 2023, Tennessee beat Texas, 82-71, in a game the Volunteers led by as much as 22 points. That Tennessee team did not yet have all-America Dalton Knecht, who transferred to Knoxville in the offseason, while that Longhorns team featured three key players -- Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr and Sir'Jabari Rice -- who are no longer with Texas. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

Why Texas can cover

Texas has an inside-out threat in Dylan Disu. A 6-foot-9 forward, Disu leads the team in 3-point percentage at 46.4 (39-of-84) while ranking second on the team in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (5.0). For his efforts this season he earned first team all-Big 12 honors and was named the conference's Most Improved Player.

In addition, the Longhorns face a Tennessee team that has a history of falling to lower-seeded teams in March. In each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, the Volunteers have been eliminated by a lower-seeded team: No. 11 Loyola-Chicago in 2018, No. 3 Purdue in '19, No. 12 Oregon State in '21, No. 11 Michigan in '22 and No. 9 FAU last year. Only the Boilermakers were better than a No. 9 seed. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

How to make Tennessee vs. Texas picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 146 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. You can see the picks only at SportsLine. 

So who wins Texas vs. Tennessee, and which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Tennessee vs. Texas spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 148-106 roll on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.