The college hoops world is a bit upset with the selection committee right now. After the Vols stormed through the second half of the SEC season and won the SEC Tournament, Tennessee couldn’t jump up above the 3-seed line.
Instead, Duke got a 2-seed, even after the Blue Devils dropped the ACC Tournament title game to 7-seeded Virginia Tech — which won four games in four days.
Seems unfair.
Anyway, the No. 3 Vols will look to hold off No. 14 Longwood, which dominated the Big South Conference this season. Longwood was lights out from three-point range and was great crashing the offensive boards.
But can Longwood compete with the red-hot Vols?
Tennessee vs Longwood Odds
Tennessee vs Longwood odds are provided by Caesars and current as of 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 15.
- Moneyline: Tennessee (-2800) vs Longwood (+1200)
- Spread: Tennessee -17 (-110) vs Longwood +17 (-110)
- Over/Under: Over 132 (-110) / Under 132 (-110)
- Implied Score: Tennessee 74.5, Longwood 57.5
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Tennessee vs Longwood Prediction
Longwood reminds me a lot of Houston. Both teams jack up threes and then crash the offensive boards to get second-chance opportunities. However, Longwood made a lot more triples this season, hitting 38% of its attempts — good for 19th nationally.
That makes Longwood interesting to consider as an underdog, but I’m not sure if I love the matchup with Tennessee.
The Vols are threatening defensively and have major size advantages at every position. The Vols also force a ton of turnovers, and Longwood isn’t the most secure team with the ball. The Lancers averaged 12 turnovers per game this season.
The Vols have also been transformed offensively by the development of rookie point guard Kennedy Chandler. The Memphis product gives Tennessee a true alpha and a big-time shooter and playmaker. This season, he’s averaging 4.6 assists per game and connecting on 37.2% of his looks from beyond the arc.
Tennessee vs Longwood Score Pick
Tennessee 85, Longwood 59
I want to believe in the Lancers, but I don’t think this is a great spot. Chandler should get everything he wants against a Longwood defense that ranked poorly in Big South play.
- Print your 2022 March Madness bracket.
Meanwhile, Longwood will have to hit its threes against a Tennessee team that is top-50 nationally in allowing low-quality attempts, per ShotQuality.
This smells like a blowout. I think Tennessee will shut down Longwood in the half-court.
Tennessee vs Longwood Best Bets
Tennessee -17 (-110) at Caesars
Wager: 1 Unit
Because of that, I’ll be on the Vols in this spot.
Moreover, Longwood has to be due for some negative regression. 14 of the Lancers’ 15 conference wins came by eight points or less, which is begging for extra losses – and bad ones.
Tennessee is a great team that’s well-rounded and hot. It’s a big spread, but I won’t be backing Longwood here.
UNDER 132 Total Points (-110) at Caesars
Wager: 1 Unit
I don’t think we’ll see a lot of running in this game. Both teams want to play in the half-court rather than get out into transition, which could point towards a low-tempo game.
Plus, Tennessee can absolutely lock down anyone. There’s a chance Longwood could stay under 50 points in this game if the 3-point shots don’t fall.
That would make this under a lock.
