The No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers welcome the Texas Longhorns to Knoxville in college basketball action on Tuesday night.
The Longhorns have been led by guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, and my Texas vs. Tennessee predictions are betting on him to have a big game tonight.
Here are my best free college basketball picks for this SEC clash on January 6.
Texas vs Tennessee prediction
Texas vs Tennessee best bet: Ja'Kobi Gillespie Over 17.5 points (-120)
The Tennessee Volunteers need to be more consistent on offense, but point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie has been a reliable scoring option.
The senior is averaging 17.6 points and 5.7 assists per game on 42/35/88 shooting splits. He's been more efficient at home and should be able to pick his spots against the Texas Longhorns tonight.
The Longhorns play at a fast pace and are getting torched on defense, allowing more than 85 points to four of their last five high-major foes. While UConn scored a modest 71 points against them during that span, the Huskies shot 55% from the floor.
They're especially bad at defending lead guards, surrendering 38 points to Josh Hubbard in their last game while allowing Arizona State's Moe Odum to drop 36 earlier this season.
Expect Gillespie to get buckets against a Texas squad that doesn't apply ball-pressure and sits outside the Top 200 in 3-point defense (34.1%).
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Texas vs Tennessee same-game parlay
Even if Gillespie goes off, the Vols might not be able to cover this hefty spread. Keep in mind that Tennessee is 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS in its last seven games.
The Longhorns do a great job attacking the rim and getting to the line, which makes their offensive production sustainable away from home. They should be able to keep things within double-digits here, especially if Dailyn Swain has a big game.
Swain leads Texas in points (16.4), rebounds (7.4), assists (3.4), and steals (1.7) per game. He has pulled down 10+ boards in back-to-back contests and should eclipse 6.5 rebounds tonight.
Texas vs Tennessee SGP
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie Over 17.5 points
- Dailyn Swain Over 6.5 rebounds
- Texas +10.5
Our beyond the arc SGP: Ja'Kobi leads the way
The Vols have a significantly better defense and have home-court advantage against a Texas squad that is just 1-5 against high-major foes. Backing the Longhorns on the 10.5-point spread allows us to et the Vols on the ML for a nice payout in this SGP.
Texas vs Tennessee SGP
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie Over 17.5 points
- Dailyn Swain Over 6.5 rebounds
- Texas +10.5
- Tennessee ML
Texas vs Tennessee odds
- Spread: Texas +10.5 | Tennessee -10.5
- Moneyline: Texas +450 | Tennessee -600
- Over/Under: Over 152 | Under 152
Texas vs Tennessee betting trend to know
The Over has cashed in 24 of the Longhorns last 34 games (+13.00 Units / 35% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Texas vs. Tennessee.
How to watch Texas vs Tennessee
| Location | Food City Center, Knoxville, TN |
| Date | Tuesday, January 6, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
Texas vs Tennessee key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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