Texas vs. Tennessee March Madness: Preview, Betting Odds, How to Watch

The Texas Longhorns will be reuniting against coach Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Texas Longhorns will be matching up with a familiar face under the bright lights of March Madness at the Spectrum Center on Saturday when they face coach Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers in the Round of 32.

No. 7 seed Texas (21-12, 9-9) used a gritty defensive effort to top 10-seeded Colorado State, 56-44, in the first round on Thursday. Despite having a season-low in scoring on offense, the Longhorns allowed just 11 points in the first half and never looked back.

That kind of low scoring output won't happen against Dalton Knecht and the Vols, who scored 46 first-half points in their 83-49 opening-round win over No. 15 seed St. Peter’s. Knecht, the SEC Player of the Year, finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in the win.

“He's made a huge, huge step as a player, moving over to Tennessee, becoming the SEC Player of the Year,” Texas forward Brock Cunningham said of Knecht. “He's an extremely potent player. He can shoot the ball far away from the basket. He's extremely athletic, a well-rounded player. He's just dynamic, and we're going to have to put a lot of focus on working to stop him.”

Tennessee also boasts the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in guard Zakai Zeigler, who had 11 points and 10 assists on Thursday.

Barnes, 69, arrived as the head coach at Texas in 1998 and found no shortage of success. He took the Longhorns to 16 NCAA Tournaments in his 17 years at the helm, highlighted by a run to Final Four in 2003 with star guard T.J. Ford.

With a 402-108 record at Texas, he remains the winningest coach in Longhorns program history. Texas head coach Rodney Terry joined Barnes' staff as an assistant in 2002 and remained in that role until 2011. Saturday's game will certainly carry tons of emotion for both teams.

The all-time series between both UTs is currently tied at 4-4. The Longhorns and Volunteers played a home-and-away series that ended last season, splitting both meetings. Texas won a 52-51 thriller over the Vols in Austin during the 2021-22 season, a game in which Barnes was recognized prior to tip-off with a video tribute. Texas players also wore t-shirts during warmups to honor Barnes. Tennessee got revenge last season with an 82-71 win in Knoxville.

"I have a lot of experience playing against Tennessee,” Texas forward Dylan Disu said Friday. “I used to go to Vanderbilt. They're a super physical team. We compare them, physicality-wise, to Houston in the Big 12. We know that we're just going to have to come out and match that physicality and play hard on defense to give ourselves a chance to win the game.”

Texas is looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for back-to-back seasons and the 15th time in program history. It would mark the first time the Longhorns have made it to a second straight since going to three straight in 2002, ’03 and ‘04.

WHAT: No. 7 Texas Longhorns (21-12, 9-9 Big 12) vs. No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers (25-8, 14-4 SEC)

WHERE: Spectrum Center - Charlotte, N.C.

WHEN: Saturday, March 23, 2024, 8 p.m. ET

HOW TO WATCH: CBS

HOW TO LISTEN: Longhorn Radio Network

TICKETS: SI Tickets

BETTING Odds: Visit SI Sportsbook

SPREAD: Texas +6.5

OVER/UNDER: 146.5

MONEYLINE: Texas +215, Tennessee -300