Michigan vs. Tennessee: NCAA Tournament odds, final score predictions from ESPN, KenPom
A trip to the Sweet 16 is on the line as No. 3 seed Tennessee (27-7) and the No. 11-seeded Michigan Wolverines (18-14) battle in the NCAA Tournament’s second round on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. ET. Here’s how to watch, Vegas odds, ESPN BPI predictions and KenPom game predictions as well for both teams ahead of huge Saturday’s Round of 32 clash.
How to watch Michigan vs. Tennessee
Time: 5:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. CT
Channel: CBS
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Odds
Money line: Tennessee -263, Michigan +213.
Spread: Tennessee -5, -110. Michigan +6, -110.
Total: Over/Under 136, -110.
Check out the rest of Vegas’ odds ahead of Saturday’s college game day slate.
ESPN BPI predictions
Matchup quality: 84.0%
Win probability: Tennessee, 80.3%
Predicted point differential: 8.8
The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team’s W-L record is to achieve.
Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily,’ per ESPN.
For the rest of ESPN’s BPI predictions, click here.
KenPom predictions
Score prediction: Tennessee 71, Michigan 65.
Win probability: Tennessee, 72%.
Check out the rest of KenPom’s predictions for Michigan vs. Tennessee, and the rest of college basketball here.
Michigan vs. Tennessee Preview
There might not be a team that is on more of a late season roll right now than the Tennessee Volunteers. After winning the SEC Tournament, many believed UT would jump to a No. 2 seed, likely surpassing Kentucky in the overall seedings. While this wasn’t the case, Tennessee has made the most out of its position, defeating Longwood in dominant fashion 88-56 that saw five different Volunteers score in double figures.
Michigan on the other hand rode Hunter Dickinson’s hot night in a 15-point comeback victory over Colorado State on Thursday. Dickinson scored 21 points while Eli Brooks and Frankie Collins combined for 30 to stifle the Rams’ hopes for a tournament run.
Saturday will see the 12th all-time matchup between these two squads. Ironically, the last time these two teams stacked up against one another was in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, where the Wolverines edged Tennessee 73-71 in the Sweet 16. Michigan is 6-5 all time against the Volunteers, and Tennessee hasn’t defeated the Wolverines since 1984.