The No. 3 Creighton Bluejays take on the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16. The matchup will take place on Friday, March 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET, and the game will air on TBS and TruTV.
2024 March Madness picks
No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 2 Tennessee best bet
Creighton (25-9) defeated the No. 14 Akron Zips 77-60 in the first round, but had to hold off No. 11 Oregon in double overtime in the second round. The Bluejays came away with an 86-73 win over the Ducks, outscoring Oregon 15-2 in the second overtime period. Four players scored 18 or more points in the second round win. The Bluejays were phenomenal from the charity stripe, going 13-for-14.
Creighton ranks 11th overall and 11th in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom. The Bluejays have three starters that average 17 or more points per game, and the team put up 80.6 points per game this season. They went 59.7% from the two-point range and 78.4% from the free-throw line this year and kept opponents to less than 70 points per game on average.
Tennessee (26-8) took down No. 15 St. Peter’s in the first round in a dominant 83-49 victory before barely pulling off a win over No. 7 Texas. Texas was down by seven points with under three minutes to go and pulled within one with less than a minute on the clock, but the Vols held onto the lead with an 18-point performance from Dalton Knecht.
The Vols rank third in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom, and kept opponents to 67 points per game on 38.6% shooting this season. They recorded 4.6 blocks and 7.9 steals per game, and grabbed 39.1 rebounds on average. On offense, the Vols are led by Knecht, the SEC Player of the Year, who averages 21.1 points per night.
Betting lines
Thursday odds
Spread: Tennessee -3
Total: 144
Moneyline: Tennessee -155, Creighton +130
Opening odds
Spread: Tennessee -3
Total: 143.5
Moneyline: Tennessee -155, Creighton +130
All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best bet: Creighton +3
Rick Barnes’ Tennessee teams have never gone past the Sweet 16 round of the tournament, and after their narrow win over Texas and inconsistency throughout the 2024 postseason, I don’t like the Vols to cover here. The Bluejays have plenty of scoring options and will be able to score from both the inside and the perimeter against Tennessee.