FAU vs. Tennessee Sweet 16 Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
Rick Barnes’ Volunteers have lived up to their defensive reputation thus far by holding their first two opponents to 55 and 52 points. FAU has gotten a little cold on offence too, which doesn’t bode well for their matchup with Tennessee Thursday.
Tip-off at Madison Square Garden gets started Thursday at 9 p.m. EDT and it’s the No. 4 Volunteers at -5.5 on the point spread and the total at 131.5 on the NCAAB odds.
FAU vs. Tennessee NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Both of Tennessee’s opening weekend tournament games finished under the total. Eight of the last 11 times the Vols have been a favourite the under has hit too. FAU went 1-1 ATS last weekend and had a game each finish over and under. The Owls have covered in six of their last nine overall but come into Thursday having just two wins in their last 15 against SEC clubs.
Both teams have held their opponents in the tournament to under 30 per cent shooting from the three-point line, which has played a big role into the lower-scoring games. FAU was a top-30 three-point shooting team this soon, which they’ll need to come alive if they stand a chance.
Florida Atlantic Owls
Sophomore Johnell Davis led the Owls in scoring this season and had has fingerprints all over Sunday’s victory over Cinderella Fairleigh Dickinson. Davis’ 29 points led all scorers, and he picked up a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds along with five steals.
Alijah Martin, FAU’s next best offensive threat, added 14 points in the win Sunday but is now eight for 27 from the field in the tournament. Sophomore Giancarlo Rosado has seen the most bench minutes for the Owls in the tournament and for good reason. Rosado’s 15 points led FAU in their Round of 64 matchup and he is nine for 10 shooting from the field so far.
Tennessee Volunteers
After surviving a Round of 64 scare against Louisiana, the Volunteers found their groove in a double-digit win against No. 5 Duke on Saturday. Tennessee shot nine for 21 from three in the 65-52 win against Duke. Senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua had a dominant afternoon going 10 for 13 from the field for a game-high 27 points. Senior guard Santiago Vescovi knocked down four threes in the Round of 32 win, as he and Nkamhoua were the only Vols to finish in double digits.
Most impressively, Tennessee forced 15 turnovers against Duke and held them to 21 made field goals. As seen in the Round of 64, when times get tough Tennessee can clamp down on defence which is a great benefit to have in such an intense tournament.
