Betting Guide: Tennessee vs. Florida Atlantic

Preview, prediction, and a guide to betting on Thursday's Sweet Sixteen matchup between Florida Atlantic and the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Tennessee Volunteers are preparing for a Sweet Sixteen battle against the Florida Atlantic Owls. FAU is one of the top mid-majors in college basketball and has had a storied run in the NCAA Tournament. We have all your betting needs covered here.

Odds Provided Courtesy of Barstool Sportsbook

• Spread: Tennessee (-5) -113 v. Florida Atlantic (+5) -108
• Moneyline: Tennessee ML -245 v. Florida Atlantic +195
• Points Spread: O/U 130

Florida Atlantic

The Owls have had a back-and-forth tournament when it has come to cover the spread. They covered in their one-point win over Memphis as they were +2.5 underdogs. 

However, against Fairleigh Dickinson, they could not cover in an eight-point win as 16 points favored them. The same pattern of covering and not covering also showed up in the C-USA tournament for the Owls. They covered in wins over UAB and Western Kentucky. 

However, they did not cover in a three-point win over Middle Tennessee in the semifinal round. If you want to make a sneaky bet with FAU in this game, the money line is a better option over the shaky results they have should in the spread. 

Tennessee

The Vols are favorites against the Owls, and it makes sense. In the front courts, Tennessee is bigger and has been a much more physical team in the tournament. 

The Owls have also not seen a defense like the one Rick Barnes throws out on the floor. The closest defense FAU has played compared to Tennessee's is Memphis's. They are ranked 39th in defensive efficiency according to the KenPom.  This means that the under will be a very viable option. 

Olivier Nkamhoua, Tennessee F

FAU will want to pick up the pace against Tennessee to keep it from becoming a half-court game. If it ends up that way, it will work into the Vols' hands, and the scoring may not be high.

As mentioned, the Volunteers are not the best at covering neutral site games. However, they are coming off a big win over Duke, which they covered. They may ride the momentum from this in facing a team that had not played a quad 1 team during the season. 

My Picks: Tennessee ML, Tennessee -5, U 130 

Florida Atlantic and Tennessee will face each other on Thursday for the third game of the four-game slate. Tip-off for the game is at 9:00 p.m. E.T. in Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. 

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