The fourth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers try to avoid another upset in the wide-open East Region of the NCAA Tournament when they face the ninth-seeded FAU Owls in a Sweet 16 contest on Thursday in New York.
Tennessee has avoided any upsets thus far, topping Louisiana and Duke to get to this round after tying for fourth in the SEC college basketball standings in the regular season.
FAU is in new territory after upsetting Memphis in the first round, then taking care of surprising FDU in the second round on Sunday. This is one of the more unlikely matchups among the NCAA basketball games today, so let’s take a closer look at this contest and determine our best FAU vs Tennessee prediction for you to wager on.
FAU Owls vs. Tennessee Volunteers Odds
FAU vs. Tennessee Information
FAU Owls vs Tennessee Volunteers
Location of the game: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY.
Date and Time: Thursday, March 23, 2023, 9:00 PM ET.
How to Watch: TBS
Updates for FAU vs. Tennessee
The FAU Owls were one of the trendy March Madness picks to make when the Field of 68 came out, but not many had their March Madness bracket showing the ninth seed in the Sweet 16. But, after going through their NCAAB schedule with 31 wins coming into this tournament, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.
Sophomore guard Johnell Davis has led the Owls all season long, averaging 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds, but he has really turned it up in the Big Dance. Davis had 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and five steals on Sunday, becoming the first player in NCAA Tournament history with at least 25 points, ten rebounds, five assists, and five steals in a game since steals became an official stat in 1986.
Sophomore guard Alijah Martin is also capable of a big scoring game, as shown by his 30 points in the Owls’ win in the Conference USA tournament title game against UAB on March 11. Martin is averaging 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds this season, shooting 36.5% from 3-point range.
Volunteers shut down March Madness darlings
Tennessee advanced thanks to an outstanding defensive effort against one of the darlings of the March Madness odds, Duke, in the second round. The Blue Devils were many people’s pick to reach the Final Four and beyond, but the Volunteers held them to just 52 points on 42.9% shooting from the floor, including 27.3% from 3-point range, while forcing 15 Duke turnovers.
Senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua led the offensive charge against Duke, finishing with 27 points, including hitting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Nkamhoua became one of those college basketball players that ups his game for the tournament, as he averaged just 11.0 points on the season.
Senior guard Santiago Vescovi is the Volunteers’ leading scorer at 12.7 points per game while also averaging 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per contest.
The college basketball injury report has had a significant entry on it for the Volunteers since the beginning of March, as sophomore guard Zakai Zeigler has been sidelined with a knee injury.
Zeigler averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 assists this season, so many felt his season-ending ailment took the Volunteers out of the NCAA basketball teams that could compete for the national title.
FAU vs. Tennessee Betting Preview
The FAU vs Tennessee prediction by most sportsbooks have the Volunteers advancing, as they’re giving 5.5 points on a point-spread bet. You’ll get -110 odds on either side of that wager if you’re including it in your college basketball picks.
The NCAAB odds on the moneyline can get you Tennessee at -250, while FAU is listed at +205. The over/under has been set at 130.5 points, with -110 odds for both sides of that bet.
FAU vs. Tennessee Betting Prediction
FAU has been a solid team all season long, so it’s not going to make it easy to make an FAU vs Tennessee prediction for this one.
The Owls aren’t going to go quietly, but we like the Volunteers to come out on top in this game in a close contest throughout.
Betting on this event:
Here is what you have to consider when making your March Madness bets:
- Pick 1: Bet on Tennessee to get the win at -250.
- Pick 2: As for the correct score, go with the Tennessee Volunteers 68 -63 FAU Owls.
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