The quarterfinals of the 2022 SEC tournament include a matchup between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers. Mississippi State picked up a win in its tournament opener on Thursday, while the Volunteers will kick off their tournament on Friday in this contest. In our college basketball predictions for Friday, we look at Mississippi State vs Tennessee and determine which side will cover en route to the semifinal round.
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Mississippi State vs Tennessee Betting Pick
This game will be played at 6:00 PM ET at Amalie Arena on Friday, March 11, 2022.
Why Bet On Mississippi State:
✅ Tennessee beat Mississippi State by more than the point spread for this game when they met earlier this season. But the Bulldogs were tied in that game before Tennessee went on an 11-2 run in the final four minutes of the game. Expect the Bulldogs to be competitive late into this game as well, and to cover the number this time around.
✅ Mississippi State was just as competitive against Auburn recently as Tennessee was. Though Tennessee beat Auburn in Tennessee in their recent matchup, Mississippi State took them to overtime when hosting the Tigers around the same time. While that has little bearing on who will win this game, it speaks to Mississippi State playing high-level basketball of late.
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✅ The Bulldogs already have a game under their belt at this tournament, while Tennessee had a double bye. The double bye has not been kind to many of the teams that have had it so far at conference tournaments, as multiple teams in the ACC struggled with it against inferior competition this week already.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State took care of business in the second round of the SEC tournament, beating South Carolina to make it to the quarterfinals. In that 22-point victory, the Bulldogs outscored the Gamecocks by 20 points in the second half to pull away once and for all. They held South Carolina to just 17 second half points, which may be tougher to do on Friday night against Tennessee.
Encouraging for the Bulldogs is the fact that they played so well despite making just three three-point shots for the game. Mississippi State shot 3/11 from three-point territory, but still managed to blow South Carolina out of the water thanks to some stellar defense. That defense will need to carry over into this game if the Bulldogs want a shot to advance to the semifinals.
Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee will be playing its first game at this year’s SEC tournament on Friday, having earned its way to the quarterfinals via a double bye. The Volunteers had a strong finish to their regular season, with their win over Auburn at home being one of their best wins of the season. Now, they will look to claim a win as the higher seeded team in this matchup to get to the semifinals.
For Tennessee, the ability to create second chances is a big difference maker for them. The Volunteers are so good at chasing down long rebounds or getting offensive boards through their bigs such as John Fulkerson. If they can create those second chances to get looks from the perimeter while the defense is not set, Mississippi State could be in for a long night.