The 13th-seeded Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (26-7) face the 4th-seeded Tennessee Volunteers (23-10) in a 1st Round East Region game in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off from Amway Center in Orlando is scheduled for approximately 9:40 p.m. ET (CBS). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Louisiana vs. Tennessee odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The Ragin’ Cajuns used defense to go 3-for-3 in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with victories over Georgia Southern (67-49), Texas State (64-58) and South Alabama (71-66). They were favored against all 3 games and went 2-1 against the spread (ATS) with an 3-0 Under record. They covered 9.5 points against Georgia Southern and 1.5 points in the title game vs. South Alabama, and they were 7-point favorites in the 6-point win vs. Texas State.
Louisiana lost both of its regular-season games against teams in the NCAA Tournament field, falling 76-64 at Drake in two days after Thanksgiving and losing 100-72 at Texas Dec. 21. The Ragin’ Cajuns were 0-2 ATS in those outings — getting 8.5 points vs. Drake and 18 vs. Texas — while splitting the Over-Under.
Tennessee has the much more impressive resume, although it sputtered down the stretch a bit. The Vols were 5-7 straight-up (SU) across the past 12 games, while going a dismal 4-8 ATS during the span. However, wins over NCAA Tournament teams like No. 1 overall seed Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi State (twice) and USC were more than enough to earn a high seed.