For the past decade, South Carolina had dominated the SEC. That changed this past season, thanks to conference realignment. The Texas Longhorns joined the league and had one of the best seasons in women’s basketball history. They went 32-3 and 15-1 in league play before the tournament, beating William & Mary and Illinois in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament to get to the Sweet 16.
Texas's opponent is Tennessee, which has had the longest active streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, 43 straight years. The Vols took care of business in their first two games, beating South Florida by 35 points in the first round, followed by an 82-67 win over Ohio State.
How to watch Texas vs Tennessee
Date: Saturday, March 29
Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Legacy Arena
How to watch (TV): ABC
Streaming: FuboTV
Tennessee record: 24-9
Texas record: 34-3
Texas vs Tennessee odds, spread, and total in the Sweet 16
Odds are via Sportsbook FanDuel
Spread
Texas -7.5 (-120)
Tennessee +7.5 (+102)
Moneyline
Texas -280
Tennessee - 370
Total
153.5 (over -106, under -114)
Injuries
None reported for either side
Series history between Texas and Tennessee
Tennessee leads all-time series, 2-1
Tennessee vs Texas game prediction
Texas has one of the best frontcourts in the country, led by 6’1 star forward, Madison Booker (16 ppg and 6.8 rpg). The three-point line doesn’t exist in games with the Longhorns, as they ranked in the bottom-10 nationally in makes and attempts, but also only allow 3.7 makes a game, good for No. 2 overall. That’s in direct contrast with the Vols, who is No. 2 in the country with over 10 made three-pointers a game, taking nearly three times the attempts that the Longhorns normally allow from deep.
Tennessee, the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation (87.1 ppg), has five double-digit scorers. 6’0 guard Talaysia Cooper (16.8 pp) is the star, but there’s plenty of firepower throughout the roster. In the prior matchup between the teams, Texas won 80-76 at home, but the Vols offense gave them a tough fight.
With this being a neutral site matchup, Tennessee has a great chance at pulling off the upset. But Booker and the Longhorns will be very difficult to stop. Look for the co-SEC champs to survive a fight to get to the Elite 8.
Prediction: Texas 75, Tennessee 71