Opening Texas vs Tennessee Odds for March Madness Second Round – Vols Big Favorites Over Longhorns

Tennessee Volunteers guard Dalton Knecht (3) looks to pass against Mississippi State during their SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 15, 2024.The #7 Texas Longhorns will meet the #2 Tennessee Volunteers in the second round of the 2024 NCAA TournamentTennessee blasted Saint Peter’s while Texas beat Colorado State in an ugly, low-scoring gameSee the opening Texas vs Tennessee odds, including spread, moneyline and game total for Saturday’s game

Two teams coming off very different performances on Thursday night are scheduled to meet in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 23. The #7 Texas Longhorns held off#10 Colorado State in a hard-to-watch 56-44 affair. The #2 Tennessee Volunteers, meanwhile, decimated #15 Saint Peter’s 83-49, easily covering the massive 21.5-point spread.

The Volunteers have been listed as sizable favorites in the Texas vs Tennessee odds for Saturday’s game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Texas vs Tennessee Odds

The second-round March Madness odds show Tennessee laying six points to the Longhorns in Charlotte. The Vols are also -270 favorites on the moneyline while the Longhorns are +220 to advance.

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Odds as of March 21. 

The Longhorns, who were +1800 to win the Midwest Region on Selection Sunday, only improved modestly to +1400 in the Final Four odds. Tennessee (+380) remains the second-favorite to win the Midwest behind #1 Purdue (+165).

Texas Defense Dominates CSU

The Longhorns played arguably their best defensive game of the season against Colorado State in the first round, holding the Rams to just 11 points in the first half en route to a 56-44 victory. The Rams were held to just 25% from three and a horrendous 32.4% from inside the arc. The Texas defense also generated 19 CSU turnovers, helping to overcome a cold shooting night from its own offense.

The Longhorns made just one three the entire game (1-of-14) while shooting 21-of-41 on twos. Max Abmas and Dylan Disu tied for the team lead in points with a paltry 12.

While head coach Rodney Terry will be happy to move on, he can’t be terribly encouraged after Thursday’s game. That was the fifth time in the last 11 games that Texas didn’t reach the 70-point plateau. The Longhorns have averaged 76.5 PPG this season and scored at least 80 in six of their first ten.

Texas played one game against SEC competition this year, beating LSU 96-75 in Houston on Dec. 16. Tennessee also dominated LSU (88-68 home) later in the season.

Odds to Win March Madness 2025: NCAA Men’s Tournament Futures TrackerRead More

Tennessee Leaves No Doubt Against Saint Peter’s

Fans will remember Saint Peter’s as the darling of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, when they made the Elite Eight as a #15 seed. But the Vols put any notion of a repeat Cinderella run by the Peacocks to bed early. Tennessee opened the game on a 10-2 run and had opened an insurmountable 46-20 edge by halftime. SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht finished with a game-high 23 points in UT’s 83-49 rout.

The lopsided win kept Tennessee ranked seventh in overall efficiency at KenPom, 30th on offense and third on defense. It also stopped a two-game losing skid that included an 85-81 setback at home to Kentucky in the final game of the regular season and a 73-56 loss to Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

Tennessee’s only game against Big 12 competition this year was a 69-60 neutral-court loss to Kansas at the Maui Invitational.

Expected Texas vs Tennessee Line Movement

The spread (Tennessee -6) is already a point higher than the KenPom and Halsametrics projections. It’s hard to see the spread growing too much, but I also don’t foresee bettors rushing out to back a Texas team that just scored 56 points.

I do think the total is going to come down from 148, though. If Texas’ shooters don’t find their footing, Tennessee’s defense is going to be a nightmare for the Longhorns.

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