Mississippi State vs. Tennessee: How to watch, odds, predictions from ESPN, KenPom

Mississippi State (11-3) and No. 8 Tennessee (11-2) square off Tuesday in Knoxville. Ahead of the game, which will be broadcast live on ESPN2, predictions and betting odds – including KenPom analytics – are rolling in.

How to watch Mississippi State and Tennessee

Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. ET

Location: Knoxville (Tenn.)

Channel: ESPN2

Vegas Odds

Tennessee is a 10.5 point favorite over Mississippi State Tuesday, according to the odds at VegasInsider. The total is set at 122.5

ESPN BPI prediction

Predicted winner: Tennessee

Predicted point differential: 13.4

Win probability for Tennessee: 90.3%

Matchup quality: 76.2

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a tool that measures team strength and uses that to predict outcomes of future performances.

KenPom prediction

Predicted final score: Tennessee wins 63-51

Win probability Tennessee: 85%

KenPom is another tool that provides advanced analysis across college basketball. Like the ESPN BPI, KenPom has Tennessee a double-digit winner.

More on Mississippi State and Tennessee

Following a 75-70 loss to Arizona, Tennessee won two in a row over Austin Peay and Ole Miss to bounce back before the new year.

“The thing is, every game is a different kind of game,” Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes said, via Volquest. “It’s not like everybody is playing the same way. So when you get ready for one team, a couple days, you’ve got to adjust, start getting ready for another team, like Mississippi State. Mississippi, they’re basically a man-to-man team. Often go to their 1-3-1, back to a 2-3, morph into a 2-3. They did that a couple times. 

“But now you’re playing a team that is a multiple defense team. Different presses, going to switch. That’s players being able to pick that up from game to game. That’s where the lack of consistency comes from. Them, probably, being young players, learning the game, thinking every game is going to be the same. It’s not. The guys that can pick that up quicker are normally the guys that are the most consistent guys and the guys that play the most.”

Mississippi State lost just its third game of the season with a 78-67 loss to Alabama Dec. 28. That was the team’s second straight loss after a 58-52 upset loss to Drake. With conference play in full swing, the Bulldogs look for an upset of their own.