The Tennessee Volunteers were at the center of controversy on Selection Sunday, with Rick Barnes' team ultimately earning the No. 3 seed in the South Region despite a profile that remains incredibly impressive. On Thursday, Tennessee begins its 2022 NCAA Tournament journey with a First Round matchup against the Longwood Lancers. Longwood is the No. 14 seed after winning the Big South title, and the Lancers are 26-6 overall and 19-1 in the last 20 games. Tennessee is the SEC champion with a 26-7 record and a 12-1 mark in the last 13 contests.
Tipoff is at 2:45 p.m. ET in Indianapolis. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Volunteers as 18-point favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 133 in the latest Longwood vs. Tennessee odds. Before making any Tennessee vs. Longwood picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Tennessee vs. Longwood and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2022. You can head to SportsLine to see all of the model's college basketball picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Longwood vs. Tennessee:
- Tennessee vs. Longwood spread: Tennessee -18
- Tennessee vs. Longwood over-under: 133 points
- Tennessee vs. Longwood money line: Tennessee -4000, Longwood +1400
- Longwood: The Lancers are 6-3 against the spread in non-conference games
- Tennessee: The Volunteers are 8-4 against the spread in non-conference games
Why Longwood can cover
Longwood has notable strengths on both ends of the floor. The Lancers are tremendous from long distance on offense, making 38.6 percent of 3-point attempts. Longwood is No. 6 in the country in 3-point accuracy, and the Lancers are near the top of the country in free-throw creation rate and offensive rebound rate (34.1 percent). The Lancers led the Big South in offensive efficiency this season, and Longwood also led its conference in live-ball turnover rate at only 8.2 percent.
On defense, the Lancers are in the top 50 nationally in 3-point accuracy allowed at 31.0 percent. Longwood also showed its effectiveness by leading the Big South in steal rate (11.5 percent), free-throw rate allowed, and defensive rebound rate (76.0 percent) during conference play. Tennessee has issues on offense, including the SEC's worst 2-point shooting (44.9 percent) and below-average metrics in live-ball turnover rate and free-throw creation rate for the full season.
Why Tennessee can cover
Tennessee is very good in key areas on offense, including assist rate, offensive rebound rate and 3-point shooting. The Volunteers are dominant on defense, however, and also have the size, physicality, and athleticism advantage against Longwood. Tennessee is No. 3 in the country in defensive efficiency, and the Volunteers are creating a turnover on 22.9 percent of defensive possessions. That is a top-15 mark in the country, and Tennessee is No. 8 in the nation with a 13.4 percent steal rate.
Opponents are shooting just 31.2 percent from 3-point range and 45.8 percent inside the arc against Tennessee this season, and Longwood is outside the top 250 nationally in making only 47.8 percent of 2-point shots. Tennessee is also near the top of the sport in block rate (13.3 percent), and Longwood had 11.9 percent of its shots blocked this season, ranking No. 338 in the country. When the Vols force a missed shot, they can also rely on the SEC's second-best defensive rebound rate at 72.1 percent.
How to make Longwood vs. Tennessee picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 140 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Tennessee vs. Longwood? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
