Tennessee (6) vs. Iowa State (2) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Sweet 16 Odds
The Iowa State Cyclones will be looking to advance to the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over a quarter-century when they battle the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday night in Midwest Region Sweet 16 betting action at United Center.
The Cyclones have overcome a late-season swoon with wins in five of their past six contests, capped by crushing victories over Tennessee State and Kentucky in the first weekend of March Madness.
The Volunteers also struggled down the stretch, losing four of their final six pre-tournament contests but returned to firm last weekend with victories over Miami-Ohio and Virginia in first and second round action, leaving them positioned to battle for a third straight Elite Eight berth.
The Cyclones lead the way 3.5-point favourites on Friday’s Sweet 16 odds, while the Volunteers lag as +145 March Madness moneyline underdogs and the total is listed at 140.5.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Iowa State Cyclones NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Friday night’s clash marks the first ever meeting between these teams at the NCAA Tournament and their first date since Tennessee rolled to a 68-45 road victory over the Cyclones in January 2018.
While the Cyclones hold the edge on Friday’s March Madness odds, they have work to do to overcome a lengthy stretch of futility in the Sweet 16, where they have lost four straight and compiled a 1-5 SU all-time record.
However, the squad took early steps towards rewriting that narrative with last week’s convincing victories over Tennessee State and Kentucky, ending a 1-2 SU and ATS run as betting chalk at the Big Dance.
Overall, the Cyclones have won five of six while going undefeated ATS, and have powered that run with steady defence, surrendering just 63.2 points per game.
Conversely, the Vols have been formidable in March Madness action over the past two years, compiling an 8-2 SU record but remain winless as betting underdogs over that stretch.
Indeed, Tennessee has been a risky bet all season, failing to cover in more than two straight games while compiling a 14-19 ATS record, and have lost outright in six of their past 10 as betting dogs.
Tennessee Volunteers (6)
The Volunteers responded to their stunning early ouster from the SEC Tournament with a pair of steady performances on the opening weekend of the Big Dance, with leading scorer Ja’Kobi Gillespie providing the spark.
One of the few producers on the squad in their 75-68 quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Vanderbilt, Gillespie recorded team highs in both of last weekend’s wins while averaging 25 points per game and has regularly led the squad while averaging 5.6 assists this season, and offers minimal risk as a -155 bet on the March Madness player props to record OVER 5.5 helpers on Friday.
Big man JP Estrella dominated in the point while pulling down 10 rebounds in the squad’s 78-56 rout of Miami-Ohio for his second double-double in four outings, but has shared those duties with senior Felix Okpara, who has recorded 7+ boards in eight of 11 outings, and sports attractive +105 odds to tally OVER 7.5 rebounds on Friday.
Iowa State Cyclones (2)
The Cyclones have had to make do without the services of senior Joshua Jefferson, who suffered an ankle injury in the early minutes of the squad’s 108-74 first-round victory over Tennessee State. But according to Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger, the big man has made “pretty significant progress” in his recovery and is considered a game-time decision for Friday’s contest.
Jefferson averaged 16.4 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds this season and found a higher gear at the Big 12 Tournament, recording a pair of doubles and averaging 19.7 points and 9.7 boards in three appearances.
With Jefferson on the shelf, Killyan Toure stepped up with the best performance of his freshman campaign versus Tennessee State, recording team highs with 25 points and 11 rebounds while adding a season-high six helpers.