Tennessee Volunteers VS Texas Longhorns Basketball Predictions

Tennessee basketball is set for their third conference game of the season. They currently sit at 1-1 in conference play. Here is how Tennessee on SI predicts it to go.

Caleb Sisk | Jan 10, 2025

Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier (2) and Tennessee forward Felix Okpara (34) celebrate an offensive play by Tennessee guard Grant Hurst, not pictured, during a college basketball game between Tennessee and Syracuse held at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee basketball is set for their third conference game of the season. They currently sit at 1-1 in conference play. Here is how Tennessee on SI predicts it to go.

Tennessee and Texas are set for battle as both teams are coming off a loss. Texas was defeated by the Auburn Tigers earlier in the week and the Vols were defeated by the Florida Gators earlier in the week.

This was the first loss Tennessee has suffered this season while Texas added their most recent loss to a few others they have suffered already bringing their total to four so far.

Tennessee on SI broke down the game below as well as provided their predictions below.

Caleb Sisk: Tennessee 68, Texas 61

Although Texas isn’t exactly the best team the Vols will face, they are absolutely no slouch in this conference. They have one of the nation’s best players in Tre Johnson but Tennessee returns the firepower with star guard Chaz Lanier. Lanier didn’t have a great contest against the Florida Gators but neither did any of the other Volunteers. They put up one of the worst performances in Tennessee basketball history. Tennessee losing in the fashion they did only gave teams such as Texas a perfect scouting report on how to limit the offensive success and that is the most concerning thing for the Vols considering they don’t have much time to fix their issues in between games. Tennessee should win this game but Texas won’t go away without a fight. This will be a tough road environment for the Vols but it’s nothing they haven’t already seen. Tennessee gets in done in a closer-than-expected finale.

Tanner Johnson: Tennessee 75, Texas 65

The Vols will rebound nicely after an impossibly bad shooting performance against Florida on Tuesday night. As bad as Tennessee shot the ball in that game, the pendulum is certain to swing back in their favor. Texas is also not nearly the caliber of offensive team that Florida is.