Vegas sets Tennessee basketball's odds to win the Midwest Region, national championship
Tennessee basketball is tied for the fourth-best odds to win the NCAA Tournament, according to BetOnline. UConn is the favorite at 4/1, ahead of Houston at 11/2. Purdue, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, is 7/1, ahead of the Vols and Arizona at 15/1.
The Vols have the second-best odds to win the Midwest Region at 13/4 (+325), behind Purdue at 7/4 (+175).
Tennessee (24-8), the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, opens against No. 15 Saint Peter’s (19-13) in the first round on Thursday (9:20 p.m. Eastern Time, TNT) at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
The Vols opened as a 20-point favorite over Saint Peter’s on Sunday night, per Circa Sports.
Should Tennessee advance Thursday night, the Vols would face either No. 7 seed Texas or No. 10 seeds Colorado State or Virginia in the second round on Saturday.
Colorado State and Virginia facing off in the First Four in Dayton on Tuesday. Colorado State has 45/1 odds to win the Midwest, going from the First Four to the Final Four, and Virginia has 100/1 odds to win the bracket.
Creighton, the No. 3 seed, has 4/1 odds to win the Midwest, ahead of No. 4 Kansas (9/1), No. 7 Texas (16/1) and No. 9 TCU (25/1). South Carolina, the No. 6 seed, has 33/1 odds, just ahead of its first-round opponent, No. 11 Oregon (40/1).
Behind Tennessee in national title odds were Auburn (17/1), Creighton (20/1), Iowa State (20/1), Marquette (20/1), North Carolina (20/1), Illinois (25/1) and Kentucky (30/1), among others.
Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament history under Rick Barnes
Tennessee under Barnes has been a No. 2 seed, a No. 3 seed twice, a No. 4 seed and a No. 5.
A year ago the Vols went to the Sweet Sixteen 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.
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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. They were 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.
