Mississippi State vs Tennessee Hoops Preview Feb 9
Mississippi State vs Tennessee Predictions and Odds
Can we expect a high-scoring affair in tonight’s Mississippi State vs Tennessee contest on ESPN2? The over is 9-2 in the Bulldogs’ last 11 games. At the time of posting, the Volunteers have opened as a 1.5-point road favorite in Starkville, with the total sitting at 136 points.
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| Wednesday, February 9 | SEC Basketball Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Tennessee Volunteers -1.5 at Mississippi State Bulldogs |
| Total: | 136 Points |
| Game Time: | 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT |
| Arena: | Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi |
| TV: | ESPN2 |
Mississippi State vs Tennessee Analysis
Mississippi St is 14-8 on the season, and 12-10 against the spread. The Bulldogs average 73.5 points per game while giving up 66.4 points per game. Mississippi State is 13-1 at home and 10-4 against the spread in those home games. The over is 13-8 in games involving Mississippi State this season, including a 9-4 mark at home.
Tennessee is 16-6 on the season, and 13-9 against the spread. The Volunteers average 74.5 points per game while giving up 63 points per game. Tennessee is 3-4 on the road this season, but 5-2 against the spread in those seven road games.
Protect the Dog Pound
We wish every team could be as formful as MSU, which hasn’t won a game yet this season as a true visitor but turns into a different sort of Bulldog at the Hump, where Ben Howland’s boys have yet to lose as an SEC host this season. Only Auburn and Kentucky rate better offensively in the SEC than the Maroon, whose not-so-secret weapon, jr. G Iverson Molinar (18.2 ppg), has taken over several games this season, even those MSU has lost (such as the bitter OT setback at Lexington vs. UK on Jan. 25 when he scored 30).
It’s also getting late in the season, and unless Howland wants to merely get back to the NIT, the last push for an at-large bid to the Dance begins across the next week with this visit from the Vols, and LSU and Bama on deck.
Vols Finding their Form
Tennessee is in perhaps its best stretch of the season with wins in five of six, and even the loss wasn’t so bad, pushing Texas into the last seconds of the Jan. 30 SEC-Big 12 Challenge at Austin. Rick Barnes’ harassing defense (ranks 16th in tunovers forced at 17.4 pg) got Tennessee back into that one, and top scorer G Santiago Vescovi (14 ppg) has been the best Uruguayan export since Enzo Francescoli lit it up on the soccer pitches of France’s old Division 1 (pre-Ligue Un) and Serie A a generation ago, hitting 50% of his triples across the past three games.
College Basketball Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his College Basketball Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Wednesday’s sheet, with notes on this Mississippi State vs Tennessee contest.
Happy Hour Tip-Off Show
Get your daily fix of college hoops betting information with Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of handicapping guests. The Happy Hour Tip-Off Show will broadcast Monday through Friday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT. Pull up a barstool and join us as we break down tonight’s college basketball card from a sports betting perspective.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Wednesday’s NCAAB games, including this Mississippi State vs Tennessee showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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