Tennessee (6) vs. Michigan (1) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Tennessee Volunteers will be vying for their first-ever berth in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament when they tip off against the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines on Sunday in March Madness Elite Eight betting action at Unted Center. The No. 6 Volunteers punched their ticket to the Elite Eight for a third straight year with Friday’s 76-62 upset win over Iowa State, extending their SU win streak as betting underdogs to three games. The Wolverines look to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2018 after rolling to a decisive 90-77 victory over Alabama in Friday’s Sweet Sixteen action, but sport a middling 4-3 SU record in Elite Eight action since their last national championship victory in 1989.
The Wolverines lead the way 7.5-point favourites on Sunday’s Elite Eight odds, while the Volunteers lag as +240 March Madness moneyline underdogs and the total is listed at 146.5.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Michigan Wolverines NCAA Elite Eight
Sunday afternoon’s matchup marks the fourth March Madness meeting between these teams since 2011. The Wolverines claimed victory in all three of those dates, capped by a 76-68 win in second-round action in 2022, and have also gone 2-0-1 ATS over that stretch, with the OVER going 2-1-0 in totals betting. Michigan has been a dominant force all season long, compiling a sensational 36-3 record, but has been streaky at the sportsbook. The Wolverines have halted a 1-8 ATS slide by covering in their past two outings, and are a meagre 5-14 ATS in their past 19 when favoured by 6+ points. The Vols have overcome a late-season swoon with a solid performance at this season’s Big Dance. The squad stumbled into the tournament on a shaky 2-4 SU and ATS run, but are unbeaten ATS in their three March Madness matchups while claiming victory by an average margin of 14.3 points. The Vols have also been a reliable bet as big dogs, winning outright in five of their past 13 when pegged as underdogs by 6+ points, and covering the spread in 12 of their past 18.
Tennessee Volunteers
Nate Ament extended his impressive March Madness debut with another steady performance in Friday’s win over the Cyclones. The freshman forward led the squad for the second time in five games with 18 points and has now averaged 17 points in his past two outings while adding four rebounds in each of those contests. While Ament led the squad in boards during the regular season, it was senior Felix Okpara that has dominated in the lane at this season’s tournament. Okpara pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with 12 points on Friday to record his second double-double of the season, and has averaged 7.7 boards at the Big Dance, adding value to his +100 odds of racking up OVER 7.5 boards on Sunday afternoon. The team’s leading scorer Ja’Kobi Gillespie took somewhat of a step back on Friday, tallying just 16 points on 41.2% shooting after averaging almost 24 points in his previous three outings. Gillespie also went just 2-for-11 on threes after going a combined 12-for-23 over his three previous appearances.
Michigan Wolverines
Yaxel Lendeborg demonstrated how much he wants to close out his collegiate career with a national championship in Friday’s victory over the Crimosn Tide. The Wolverines’ leading scorer during the regular season, Lendeborg dominated all over the court on Friday, shooting 66.7% from the field including 4-for-5 on three while piling up a team-high 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds and seven assists. That marked his seventh double-double of the season and the fourth time he has compiled 6+ assists since early February. It was also a big night for the Michigan bench, with Trey McKenney and Roddy Gayle Jr. contributing 17 and 16 points, respectively. McKenney has regularly stepped up as the sixth man this season, and tallied 10+ points with limited minutes in five of his past seven outings.
