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Tennessee vs Louisiana Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds and Picks
Sun Belt Champions Eyeing Upset of No. 4 Seeds
Tennessee Looks to Get Defensive
There will be plenty of eyes on this Tennessee team based on the fact that the Volunteers went 5-7 over the last 12 games. Tennessee had a brief stay at the SEC tournament, falling to Missouri in the quarterfinals after topping Ole Miss in the tournament opener.
Louisiana was challenged in both the semifinals and finals in the Sun Belt tournament, but does take a five-game winning streak into the game. Other than a game against Texas that resulted in a 28-point loss, Louisiana’s non-conference schedule left something to be desired.
Louisiana ranks in the top 30 nationally in points per game, field goal percentage defense and 3-point percentage. When making March Madness picks, keep in mind that Tennessee trails only UCLA in the Pomeroy College Ratings when it comes to adjusted defensive efficiency.
There are plenty of first-round games in the NCAA Tournament with double-digit point spreads, but this is the only one not involving a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed.
When it comes to college basketball news, Louisiana is without freshman guard Vinny Sigona, who hasn’t played since a December loss to Texas.
Tennessee dropped three spots to 20th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and went from 19th to 21st in the coaches poll.
According to the college basketball odds, Tennessee (+3000) is 13th in the odds to win the national championship. Louisiana is well back at +100000.
Brown Leads Sun Belt Champs
Arizona transfer Jordan Brown has made himself right at home in his two seasons at Louisiana with five double-doubles in the last six games. In his only game against a team from the Power-5 conferences, Brown had 20 points and six rebounds in a loss to Texas so he could be a handful for Tennessee.
Louisiana did not look like a dominating team in the final two games of the Sun Belt tournament and that is reflected in the 11½-point spread.
South Alabama jumped out to an early six-point lead in the championship game and led by four points at halftime. Four different players scored as Louisiana erased a seven-point lead to earn a spot into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.
Themus Fulks, who had seven points on 2-of-13 shooting in the first two games in the Sun Belt tournament, stepped up in a major way with 23 points in 9-of-13 shooting in the title game.
Career-high 21 points for Fulks and the Cajuns are up with 8 to go!
📺 https://t.co/WG5CEXIR90
📻 https://t.co/zYirF5H0db
📊 https://t.co/GunVtPaStq#GeauxCajuns ⚜️ pic.twitter.com/vWSH5Zgf8w— Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns® Men’s Basketball (@RaginCajunsMBB) March 7, 2023
Brown had 13 points and 16 rebounds. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 8-2 when he has a double-double this season. Jackson State transfer Terence Lewis is another player to keep an eye on.
Louisiana is 5-3 against the college basketball lines in its last eight games while four of the last five games went over the total.
Questions Abound With Volunteers
Tennessee was being touted as a national championship contender thanks to some impressive results earlier in the season. However, two losses to Kentucky and others to Florida and Vanderbilt changed the expectation level surrounding this Tennessee team.
The good news is that the Volunteers had to fight their way through a conference schedule full of teams that landed NCAA Tournament berths so that could prove beneficial in the NCAAs.
Tennessee posted wins over Alabama and Arkansas late in the regular season. However, impressive wins have been hard to come by in recent weeks.
Tennessee allowed Missouri to shoot 53% and hit 10 3-pointers in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament so that will need to be addressed. It was encouraging to see Jahmai Mashack score 14 points in the loss after going 3 for 11 over the previous three games.
Josiah-Jordan James was playing well before a tough outing against Missouri and he will be counted on to take some of the pressure off leading scorer Santiago Vescovi.
Tennessee has covered against the NCAA basketball odds in just one of its last seven games. Five of Tennessee’s last six games finished over the total and the 136-point total is a pretty tempting number.
Louisiana vs Tennessee Game Injuries
Tennessee vs Louisiana Head-to-Head
There isn’t much recent history to help make March Madness predictions. The teams have met once since 2009 with Tennessee winning 87-65 as a 16-point favorite on Nov. 9 2018.
Since 2000, Tennessee is 6-0 against Louisiana and covered in each of the last three games.
The last three meetings all finished over the total.
Tennessee vs Louisiana Game Information
- Game: Louisiana (26-7, 13-5 Sun Belt) vs Tennessee (23-10, 11-7 SEC)
- Location: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
- Day/Time: Thursday, March. 16, 9:40 p.m. ET
- Louisiana vs Tennessee Live Stream: TBS.com
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Tennessee vs Louisiana Betting Lines
Tennessee vs Louisiana Picks and Prediction
Tennessee is obviously missing second-leading scorer Zakai Zeigler, who also leads the team in assists and steals. Vescovi can do a little bit of everything, but will he have enough help?
Louisiana went 3-3 over its last six games in February so this is not a squad being viewed as one of double-digit seeds likely to make a run to the regionals. However, Zeiger’s injury has made Tennessee rather susceptible to an early exit.
The 11½-point line might be a bit of the high side with the way the favored Volunteers are playing.
Tennessee is 23-7 when listed by the Las Vegas NCAA odds as the favorite. Louisiana is 1-5 as an underdog.
Tennessee is 5-2 in games played at neutral sites. However, the Volunteers have covered against the spread in just three of those matchups. That could come into play among those making March Madness expert picks.
Tennessee is listed at -650 in our Las Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Volunteers, you have a chance to win $15. Louisiana is +480, offering a chance to win $480 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Tennessee an 86.67% chance to win, with Louisiana at 17.24%.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
