Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 1/26/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Location: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN

TV: SECN

Odds/Point Spread: Mississippi State (+9)

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-7) go to Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday where they'll take on the Tennessee Volunteers (10-3). Mississippi State opens this game as 9-point underdogs. The over/under has been set at 130.

Mississippi State comes into this game with a mark of 9-7 on the year. The Bulldogs are connecting on 36.7% on shots from beyond the arc (88 of 240) and 63.6% from the free throw line. They have an average of 71.8 points per game (191st in the nation) while going 45.9% from the field. They are turning it over 13.6 times per contest and as a squad they commit 15.5 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Mississippi State is grabbing 39.4 rebounds per game and has accounted for 198 dimes for the year, which ranks 111th in the country in terms of passing. Defensively, the Bulldogs have forced 12.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.9 personal fouls. The Bulldogs defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 41.2% (384 of 931) and they relinquish 30.9 boards per game as a squad. They rank 316th in college hoops in giving up assists with 225 surrendered for the year. They concede 35.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 97th in college basketball in PPG allowed (67.1).

The Mississippi State Bulldogs faced off with the Alabama Crimson Tide and went home with a loss by a final score of 81-73 in their last contest. Mississippi State walked away from the game with a 44.3% field goal percentage (27 out of 61) and made 4 out of their 14 shots from distance. When they shot from the free throw line, the Bulldogs buried 15 of their 17 shots for a rate of 88.2%. When discussing pulling down boards, they collected a total of 29 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 6 assists for the contest while earning 13 steals and 5 blocks. Pertaining to the defense, Mississippi State allowed their opponent to shoot 44.3% from the floor on 27 of 61 shooting. Alabama doled out 21 assists and had 13 steals in the matchup. Additionally, the Crimson Tide collected 29 boards (7 offensive, 22 defensive) and added 5 blocked shots. Alabama finished the game shooting 84.6% from the free throw line by burying 11 of their 13 shots. They also buried 14 of their 34 shots from beyond the arc.

D.J. Stewart is a player who was a contributor in this matchup. He recorded 27 points on 9 out of 21 shooting. He was on the court for 33 minutes and also pulled down 3 rebounds. Stewart finished the game at 42.9% from the field and also distributed 2 assists. Another guy that had an impact in this contest for the Bulldogs was Iverson Molinar. He snagged 2 rebounds and also accumulated 2 dimes. He finished the contest at 26.3% from the field in the game by connecting on 5-of-19 (19 points). When the final whistle blew, Molinar was on the court for 35 min.

Tennessee has a mark of 10-3 for the season. As an offense, the Volunteers are hitting on 45.2% from the floor, which has them ranked 138th in the nation. Tennessee has accumulated 962 points so far this season (74.0 per game) and they average 36.5 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 15.2 times per game (80th in the nation) and they are turning it over 11.2 times per contest. The Volunteers have committed 15.9 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 71.2% from the charity stripe. The Volunteers on defense are ranked 7th in college basketball in PPG given up with 59.8. They allow 9.7 assists and 32.5 boards per game, which is 16th and 72nd in those defensive categories. The Tennessee defense gives up 31.2% on shots from beyond the perimeter (87 of 279) and opponents are connecting on 68.7% of their free throw attempts. They are able to force 16.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 39.9% from the floor (48th in college hoops).

When they last stepped on the court, the Tennessee Volunteers went home defeated by a final of 73-64 when they played the Missouri Tigers. The Volunteers were able to snag 16 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards totaling 25 for the game. They also rejected 4 shots while getting 4 steals for the contest. The Tigers were called for 19 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Volunteers to the free throw line for a total of 21 shots. They were able to knock down 13 of the free throws for a rate of 61.9%. When discussing shots from beyond the arc, Tennessee converted 9 of 22 attempts (40.9%). At the conclusion of this game, the Volunteers ended up shooting 21 out of 48 from the floor which had them sitting at 43.8%. The Volunteers permitted the Tigers to bury 25 of 57 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.9% for this game. They wrapped up this game 42.1% from downtown by going 8 of 19 and finished the contest at 15 of 20 from the free throw line (75.0%). Concerning rebounds, Tennessee allowed Missouri to grab 31 in total (10 on the offensive side).

Yves Pons ended up being a major contributor for the Volunteers for the contest. He made 6 of 11 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 54.5%, which got him 20 points. Pons totaled 5 boards in his 35 mins played and accounted for 2 assists in this matchup. Another guy that was important for Tennessee was Josiah-Jordan James. He was able to score 12 points in his 29 minutes on the court by going 4 of 12 shooting in this contest. James walked away from this one going 33.3% from the field while also contributing 2 assists and 5 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Mississippi State (+9)

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