Sean Barnard provides a preview and best bets as Tennessee faces Wofford during the NCAA Tournament opening round.
Competing in the Midwest region of the bracket of the NCAA Tournament, second-seeded Tennessee will take on 15-seeded Wofford. They will be a part of the opening-day slate taking place at 6:50 pm. ET.
In NCAA Tournament history, 15 seeds are 11-145 against 2 seeds in the opening round. However, it has happened three times since 2021.
Tennessee enters this game as a -18.5-point favorite and -3200 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Wofford holds +1400 odds on the Moneyline with the game total set at 133.5.
Want to approach your March Madness Bracket with the same precision as the top 1% of bracket pool winners? Check out what the PoolGenius optimizer has to offer!
Tennessee Analysis
Rick Barnes’ squad returns to the NCAA Tournament with plenty of experience and the ability to make a deep run. They have taken some significant steps forward on the defensive side of the ball holding opponents to just 63.0 points per game, which ranks 11th in the country. The Volunteers also rank 17th in defensive rating, hold opponents to the second-worst field goal percentage (38.2%), and the worst three-point percentage (27.8%). While they came up shy at the hands of Flordia in the conference tournament, it was a more than respectable performance with the overall run solidifying their NCAA Tournament chances.
Tennessee is still plenty capable of the offensive end averaging 74.7 points per game. This ranks 149th in the country but their 10th-ranked strength of schedule should be noted. The Volunteers are battle-tested and will be looking to avenge last year’s Elite 8 loss at the hands of Purdue.
North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier headlines the scoring effort averaging 17.7 points per game and shooting 40.0% from beyond the three-point arc on 8.1 perimeter shots per game. Zakai Zeigler continues to run the offense averaging 13.8 points, 7.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. Jordan Gainey and Igor Milicic Jr. each also average in double figures.
Wofford Analysis
The Wofford Terriers arrive back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018-19. They won the Southern Conference Tournament to punch their ticket to the dance after limping through the regular season with a 19-15 overall record.
Wofford attempts three-pointers at the 25th highest rate in the country and lives and dies with the outcome of these by launching 28.4 per game. They are 10-3 on the season when shooting 38% or greater from beyond the three-point arc. Overall they average 75.3 points per game which ranks 135th in the country and give up 69.8 points per game which is the 114th-best rate.
Corey Tripp headlines the production for the Terriers averaging 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. Kyler Filewich also added 11.9 points and a conference-leading 9.4 rebounds while Dillon Bailey, Justin Bailey, and Jackson Sivills each also add over nine points per game. Wofford played just one Quad 1 matchup this season losing to Duke 86-35. They also went 2-4 against Quad 2 opponents and this will be a difficult matchup for the Terriers.
The Pick: Tennessee -18.5
While we are all itching to find the biggest upset, Tennessee looks to be on a mission that Wofford should be incapable of preventing. Wofford has been inconsistent all season and it took three straight games of 40%+ three-point shooting to propel them through their respective conference tournament victory. While perimeter shooting can be the great equalizer in this type of matchup, expect Tennessee’s top-ranked three-point defense to make an impact.
This Volunteers roster has plenty of experience and a variety of ways they can win games. Expect Zakai Ziegler to have great success in this game and set the tone for the rest of this roster. His experience has shined in recent games and he is the straw that stirs the Tennessee drink. While there are some fair concerns about the Volunteers when speaking on their chances of winning the tournament, don’t expect Wofford to be built to trip them up.
18.5 is a large spread but Tennessee has beaten opponents by this margin in nine different games this season. The Volunteers enter with the 10th-ranked strength of schedule while Duke is the only team in the same conversation of talent that Tennessee possesses from Wofford’s perspective. Expect a focused effort from Rick Barnes’ squad as they look to make some serious noise later on in the tournament. Count on a convincing performance right from the opening tip and don’t be shocked if this game gets out of hand early. Look for Tennessee to produce their best effort and cover the 18.5-point spread as the NCAA Tournament starts to hit its full stride.
Want to approach your March Madness Bracket with the same precision as the top 1% of bracket pool winners? Check out what the PoolGenius optimizer has to offer!
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
