The No. 14 Longwood Lancers (26-6) will meet the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers (26-7) Thursday in a NCAA Tournament South Region game. Tip from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Longwood vs. Tennessee odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Volunteers are riding a 7-game win streak, having won and covered all 3 game en route to the SEC Tournament Championship.
The Vols are 12-1 in their last 13 games, 8-5 against the spread (ATS). Many were shocked Tennessee didn’t get a higher seed with the third-best defense in the nation per Kenpom.
As for the Lancers, they beat Winthrop by 21 in the Sun Belt Tournament final to get to the Big Dance. They’ve won 19 of their last 20.
Longwood ranks top 60 in points per game and opponents’ points per game. While it’s not picked as a popular upset given the Vols’ current surge, the Lancers will be no pushover.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Longwood vs. Tennessee odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:35 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Longwood +1000 (bet $100 to win $1,000) | Tennessee -2500 (bet $2,500 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Longwood +18.5 (-110) | Tennessee -18.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 132.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Longwood vs. Tennessee odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Tennessee 78, Longwood 62
Money line
PASS.
Betting a -2500 favorite on a 14 vs. 3 game is asking for trouble. Absolutely stay away from the money line for both teams.
Against the spread
LEAN to LONGWOOD +18.5 (-110).
The Lancers haven’t been good the last couple of years, but they have experienced players captaining the ship this season. Four of their top 5 scoring options are upperclassmen.
Tennessee won’t necessarily crush a team with dominating size, but rather with extremely quick and athletic guard play. That should bode well for a smaller school like Longwood, which doesn’t have a player over 6-foot-8.
Longwood has an offense that ranks 110th in adjusted efficiency. It should be good enough to score on the Vols and potentially sneak in with even a backdoor cover.
The Lancers didn’t start the season off strong, but should be able to keep it within 20 against Tennessee.
Over/Under
BET the OVER 132.5 (-110).
There are a lot of reasons to like the Under in this battle, but Longwood is 2-0 O/U in games against Power 5 opponents, having games end with over 170 points against Iowa and Georgetown.
Longwood is 15-13 O/U this season. Tennessee was 4-2 O/U against non-Power 5 opponents before conference play kicked off. It should be able to score at will.
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