Texas vs. Texas A&M Prediction and Odds: Rivalry Renewed in Round Two of SEC Tournament

The SEC Tournament continues today, with the No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies facing off with their bitter rival, the Texas Longhorns, in Round Two action. This battle between longtime rivals gets underway at 3:30 p.m. ET with coverage on the SEC Network.

Texas A&M had a good/bad finish to the regular season. Losing four in a row and nearly dropping out of the top 25 certainly qualifies as bad. But bouncing back with a win over then-No. 1 Auburn and LSU is most certainly good.

While the Aggies did get back on track before the end of the regular season, fans may still be concerned. Texas A&M may look like the better team on paper, but they still lost to the Longhorns in Austin a few weeks ago (Jan. 25, 70-69).

Texas vs. Texas A&M Odds for Thursday, March 13

Odds for the Texas vs. Texas A&M matchup are taken from FanDuel Sportsbook. Sign up with FanDuel to place bets and claim your welcome offer: Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.

Texas vs. Texas A&M Prediction

Texas A&M was a solid team against the spread (ATS) this season, going 16-12-3 and 10-8-2 as the betting favorite. In situations like today’s game, where they have a rest advantage, they have gone 7-2 ATS and 8-1 outright.

Texas was 14-16-1 ATS and 6-5 when the underdog. When at a rest disadvantage, they’ve gone 2-4 straight up and 2-4 ATS.

Texas Longhorns Preview

The chance to beat their hated rival and eliminate them from the SEC Tournament is all the motivation Texas needs. However, when you consider that their chances of making it to the NCAA Tournament are slim, this game becomes even more critical.

Why? Because this game will be the highlight of their postseason. Success in the NIT Tournament will not mean as much as beating the Aggies for a second time this season.

However, it may be asking a bit much for Texas to beat the Aggies again. Texas A&M dominated the Longhorns in College Station on Jan. 4, 80-60. The Aggies appeared to be on their way to another dominant victory, going into the half in the rematch in Austin, with a score of 43-25.

But then the Longhorns took control in the second half, getting the go-ahead bucket when Tramon Mark hit a layup with three seconds left.

Consistency on offense has been an issue, and it nearly cost them their first-round matchup vs. Vanderbilt. Texas cruised through the first half and took a 15-point lead into the break (41-26).

But in the second half, they didn’t play in the paint as much as they did in the first, opting for jump shots (and not making many) instead. Vanderbilt never really threatened to pull ahead, but they outscored Texas 46-38.

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Texas A&M Aggies Preview

There is never a bad time for beating the No.1 team in the country. But the timing could not have been better for the Aggies when they downed Auburn 83-72 on Mar. 4.

A few weeks earlier, Texas A&M was enjoying the high that comes with being ranked inside the top ten (they were No. 8). Were they perceived as good enough to win the SEC? It was hard to say yes, but it was just as hard to say no.

But then they lost four in a row and were in danger of making it five with Auburn on deck. With how both teams were playing, a victory was unlikely. Then something unexpected happened. The Aggies played a complete game and took down the No. 1 team in the country.

Nothing rebuilds confidence quite like beating the No. 1 team. Following that win with a victory over LSU on the road was icing on the cake.

Solid defense has been a strength for Texas A&M. Their defense averaged 67.1 points per game allowed (No. 48 in the country but No. 2 in the SEC). When their defense struggled down the stretch, and their mediocre offense couldn’t pick up the slack, they lost games.

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Texas vs. Texas A&M Betting Pick

• Texas vs. Texas A&M Pick: Under 138.5 (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook

If I had to pick a winner, I’d lean towards the Aggies -6.5. They got the wake-up call they needed by beating Auburn. Texas A&M has the second-best defense in the SEC, and they played accordingly in their last two games.

They can keep the Longhorns offense in check—especially if Texas struggles with consistency on offense. However, Texas A&M is not a strong offensive team, and Texas has a decent defense.

Don’t count on either team to score a lot in this game.

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How to Watch Texas vs. Texas A&M

• When: Thursday, March 13 @ 9:30 p.m. ET

• Where: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN

• TV: SEC Network