March Madness Odds: Tennessee opens as a favorite against Creighton in Sweet 16
Tennessee basketball opened as a 2.5-point favorite for Friday’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game against Creighton, according to FanDuel. The Vols and Bluejays will tipoff after 10 p.m. Eastern Time in the late game at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit.
No. 1 Purdue and No. 5 Gonzaga are scheduled for a 7:39 p.m. ET start in the early game in the first Midwest Region semifinal game. Both games will be televised by TBS/truTV. The two winners will meet in the Elite Eight on Sunday in Detroit.
Tennessee (26-8), the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, advanced with an 83-49 win over No. 15 Saint Peter’s in the first round on Thursday and a 62-58 win over No. 7 Texas in the second round Saturday night at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
Creighton (25-9), the No. 3 seed, beat No. 14 Akron 77-60 in the first round on Thursday and got past No. 11 Oregon 86-73 on Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
The Vols are in the Sweet 16 for a second straight season and the third time since 2019. It’s their 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament’s third round in program history. Tennessee has been to one Elite Eight, losing to Michigan State 70-69 in 2010 in St. Louis.
Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament history under Rick Barnes
Tennessee under Rick Barnes has been a No. 2 seed twice, a No. 3 seed twice, a No. 4 seed and a No. 5 seed.
A year ago the Vols went to the Sweet 16 as a No. 4 seed, beating No. 13-seed Louisiana in the first round and No. 5 Duke in the second round. They lost 62-55 to No. 9 Florida Atlantic in the third round.
They were a No. 3 in 2022, beating Longwood in the first round before being upset by No. 11-seed Michigan in the second round, and lost in the first round as a No. 5 seed, falling against No. 12 Oregon State.
Tennessee was a No. 3 in 2018, beating Wright State before losing to No. 11-seed Loyola-Chicago.
Tennessee’s history as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
Three times in program history Tennessee has been a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament: 2006, 2008 and 2019.
In 2019, the Vols beat No. 15-seed Colgate 77-70 in the first round in Columbus, Ohio, survived No. 7-seed Iowa 83-77 in overtime in the second round, then lost to No. 3-seed Purdue 99-94 in overtime in Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen.
Tennessee in 2008 beat American 72-57 in the first round and Butler in the second round, 76-71 in overtime, before losing 79-60 to Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen.
The Vols in 2006 beat Winthrop 63-61 in the first round in Greensboro, then lost 80-73 to No. 7-seed Wichita State in the second round.
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