Four Things To Know About Tennessee's Matchup With The Longwood Lancers

Rick Barnes and the Tennessee BasketVols made their way to Indianapolis for the first rounds of the NCAA tournament. As the No.3 seed in the South region.

Rick Barnes and the Tennessee BasketVols made their way to Indianapolis for the first rounds of the NCAA tournament. As the No.3 seed in the South region.

Players to Watch

Justin Hill paces the way for the Lancers, averaging over 14 points per game. The talented sophomore guard exploded for multiple 20 plus points performances on more than one occasion this season. He seemed to grow stronger as the season waged on, and he delivered in the biggest moments. Tennessee will look to wear him down by committee with a stout defensive attack during Thursday's opening round. He is the star for this team and their success comes and goes with him. Not only is Hill effective as a scorer, but he distributes the ball extremely efficiently as well. His running mate Isaiah Wilkins is also a problem for opposing teams, averaging nearly 13 points and seven rebounds per game.

Common Opponent

Tennessee and Longwood only played one common opponent this season in Presbyterian College. The Vols got the first shot at the Blue Hose (yes, that is the school mascot) early in the season. Rick Barnes team nearly doubled up the lesser opponent to the tune of 86-44.

The Lancers played Presbyterian in late January and prevailed in a 71-70 thriller with Hill adding 23 points. However, the two teams played in the same conference and had numerous common opponents. The Lancers went 15-1 in conference play, while Presbyterian went 4-12 but lost multiple close games.

Lancers Head Coach

Griff Aldrich had a comfortable life as a lawyer, making an $800k/year salary before jumping into the college coaching world. He took the opportunity and a pay cut to $32k a year, but it ultimately led to him landing at Longwood as head coach. He has now led the Lancers to their first-ever NCAA tournament. This storyline will certainly get some attention during tommorow's broadcast and is just another element for the 14-seed to play passionately for.

Betting Lines/TV Channel

The Vols are currently an 18.5 point favorite, per FanDuel, heading into the 2:45 pm ET. The money line for the Vols is currently -4000, so there is not much intrigue in betting this. The over/under is currently set at 132 points. As March Madness kicks off, the game is set to tipoff on CBS.