Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 1/21/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Location: Food City Center in Knoxville, TN

TV: ESPN+

Food City Center is the location where the Tennessee Volunteers (16-2) will try to beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs (15-3) on Tuesday.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs took the court against Ole Miss and went home with a win by a final score of 84-81 in their last game. Mississippi State walked away from the contest having earned a 44.6% FG percentage (29 of 65) and converted 9 of their 27 3-point shots. When they shot from the free throw line, the Bulldogs made 17 of their 28 attempts for a percentage of 60.7%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 49 with 17 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 15 assists in this contest in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and getting 9 steals. Regarding defending, Mississippi State let their opponent shoot 45.5% from the field on 30 out of 66 shooting. Ole Miss totaled 14 assists and had 9 steals for the game. Furthermore, Ole Miss had 29 boards (8 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. Ole Miss finished the contest at 57.1% from the free throw line by making 8 of their 14 tries. They also made 13 out of their 35 tries from distance. When talking about personal fouls, the Bulldogs finished with 13 while Ole Miss accounted for 21 personal fouls.

Riley Kugel is a guy who was a major factor in the matchup. He totaled 21 points on 6 out of 11 shooting. He saw the court for 30 minutes played and also collected 3 boards. He ended up going 54.5% from the floor and also recorded 2 dimes.

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Mississippi State comes into this game with a mark of 15-3 on the year. They have an average of 82.9 pts per game (25th in college hoops) while shooting 46.6% from the floor. The Bulldogs are connecting on 32.7% from downtown (155 of 474) and 69.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Mississippi State is pulling in 39.7 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 292 dimes on the campaign, which ranks 77th in college in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 10.1 times per game and as a squad they are committing 16.5 fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing 14.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.6 personal fouls. They rank 118th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 222 surrendered for the campaign. The Bulldogs defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 42.7% (436 of 1,021) and they relinquish 34.1 boards per game as a group. They surrender 35.0% from 3-point land and they are ranked 143rd in D-1 in PPG allowed (70.1).

When they last played, the Tennessee Volunteers took a loss by a final score of 76-75 when they faced Vanderbilt. In reference to rebounding, Tennessee allowed Vanderbilt to pull down 23 in total (8 on the offensive side). They shot 38.1% from beyond the perimeter by hitting 8 of 21 and finished the contest at 16 out of 19 from the charity stripe (84.2%). The Volunteers allowed Vanderbilt to knock down 26 of 56 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 46.4% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Volunteers finished the game shooting 24 out of 50 from the field which had them sitting at 48.0%. In reference to shooting from distance, Tennessee made 10 out of their 21 attempts (47.6%). They were able to make 17 of the free throws for a percentage of 81.0%. Vanderbilt committed 16 personal fouls for the game which took the Volunteers to the charity stripe for a total of 21 attempts. They also turned the ball over 9 times, while earning 4 steals in this contest. The Volunteers collected 16 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 23 for the game.

Chaz Lanier was important for the Volunteers in the game. He totaled 17 points in his 31 minutes on the hardwood, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He buried 5 out of 11 for this game giving him a rate of 45.5%, and accumulated 2 rebounds.

Tennessee has a mark of 16-2 for the season. The Volunteers are committing 14.3 personal fouls per game and they shoot 75.1% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 16.1 times per contest (64th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 11.2 times per game. Tennessee has totaled 1,383 pts this year (76.8 per game) and they snag 38.6 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Volunteers are shooting 46.1% from the floor, which is 122nd in college.

The Volunteers on the defensive side of the court are 5th in the country in points allowed per contest with 58.8. They are able to force 13.7 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 36.4% from the floor (4th in college hoops). The Tennessee defense gives up 25.5% on three-point shots (119 of 466) and opponents are converting on 73.3% of their free throw shots. They surrender 9.1 dimes and 30.7 boards every game, which is 5th and 22nd in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Mississippi State

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