Tennessee vs. FAU NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: Odds, Picks, Predictions for March Madness

Tennessee basketball keeps dancing and will take on the FAU Owls in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament tonight.

The Vols landed in New York City and are preparing to take on the FAU Owls in their Sweet Sixteen matchup. The Volunteers have passed the Sweet Sixteen just once before in school history and have never made it to the Final Four. FAU and the winner of Michigan State vs. Kansas State stand in the way of the Vols doing something they have not done before: make it to the Final Four.

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Tennessee vs. FAU NCAA Tournament Analysis

The FAU Owls are the team I desperately hoped the Vols would get to play in the Sweet 16 this year. While I thought they would have to get through Purdue, FDU pulled off the upset of the century as a 16 seed and ended up gifting FAU a cakewalk to the Sweet 16. However, the cinderella run for FAU ends in the Sweet 16. FAU is a good team; they are incredibly similar to Memphis but have much less Tournament experience. The lack of NCAA tournament experience may hurt them in a matchup with the Volunteers in the Sweet 16.

FAU had a great season, but it’s worth noting that they didn’t play a single ranked team this entire season. Sure, the 33-3 record looks good on paper, but any team could’ve done that when given that schedule. If we look at FAU’s three losses, it comes against Ole Miss, UAB, and Middle Tennessee; All 3 are inferior teams.

An analogy I think of when I see this type of team is how Cincinnati was in the 2021 season College Football Season. They went undefeated but finally faced a good team in the playoffs and lost 27-6. Another important statistic to look at when analyzing this game is KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margins. Tennessee basketball has a +24.65, and FAU has a +18.44. The Vols have a +6 advantage for this metric because they have the No. 1 defense in the country and showcased it well against the Duke Blue Devils in the Round of 32.

All in all, I think that the Vols take care of business.

Tennessee vs. FAU: Odds

Tennessee vs. FAU: Pick and Prediction

Pick: Tennessee Volunteers -4.5 (-110)