Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee Prediction & March Madness Odds: Defensive Struggle in Charlotte

Check out our Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee prediction for Thursday's March Madness first-round matchup based on the best college basketball odds.

The Saint Peter’s Peacocks face a mammoth task as they face the Tennessee Volunteers in a lopsided matchup on paper, and we have you covered with our top Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee prediction based on the best March Madness odds.

After suffering back-to-back losses against Rider and Quinnipiac to conclude the regular season, the 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s Peacocks (16-13, 12-8 MAAC) rallied in the MAAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed, securing three consecutive wins - including revenge victories over Rider and Quinnipiac. Notably, Saint Peter’s returns as the No. 15 seed, a position from which they made a historic run to the Elite 8 in 2022.

As the second seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Tennessee Volunteers (24-7, 14-4 SEC) experienced back-to-back losses despite securing the SEC regular-season title. With a quest to rewrite history, they seek to become the first team since the tournament expanded in 1985 to claim a national championship after falling short of the conference tournament semifinals.  

As part of our March Madness predictions, here are our best Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee prediction and college basketball picks (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee odds

Saint Peter’s (No. 15) vs. Tennessee (No. 2) prediction: Midwest Region 

Under 129.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -110 via FanDuel

Saint Peter’s run to the Elite 8 in 2022 was mainly predicated on lock-down defense under then-head coach Shaheen Holloway. The Peacocks finished 25th in adjusted defensive efficiency and defended both the perimeter and inside the arc at top-13 rates. If Saint Peter’s wants to make a similar run this year, it will have to be just as hard-nosed defensively, as its 39.7% field goal shooting percentage made it the MAAC’s worst offense.

Tennessee is led by SEC player of the year Dalton Knecht, who averaged 25.5 points per game in league play. However, the Volunteers’ offense can be pedestrian when Knecht is held in check, as evidenced by their 56-point output in the SEC Tournament when he was limited to 14 points.

Tennessee has averaged 67.7 points per game over the last three. Saint Peter’s should be able to compete on the defensive end, ranking 22nd in effective field goal percentage defense and forcing turnovers at the 31st-highest rate in the country.

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Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee best odds

FanDuel (-110)

DraftKings FanDuel BetMGM Caesars bet365
Under 130   Under 129.5 Under 129.5 Under 129.5 Under 129.5
-110 -110 -110 -110 -110

DraftKings is the only one of our best sports betting sites with a different total, offering 130. The others sit at a consensus of 129.5 points, the lower limit of our interest in playing this pick. The Under cashed in exactly half of Saint Peter’s 28 games and 16 of Tennessee’s 31.

The -110 odds, via our odds converter, imply a probability of 52.38%, while a winning $10 wager would pay out $19.09, $9.09 of which is the profit.

Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee spread & Over/Under analysis

Of our best sports betting apps, Caesars offers Tennessee at -21, while the others are pegged at -21.5. There is likely heavy sharp play on Tennessee, as several sportsbooks opened as low as -18.5, and we’re still awaiting any increased traction on the underdogs.

The drastic line movement is interesting, considering the early betting splits suggest solid two-way action, with 51% of the spread money supporting the favorites. DraftKings and BetRivers have seen their totals increase from the opening number of 128.5. The first line movement on Caesars’ and bet365’s totals were from 129.5 to 129, but each has since returned to 129.5. Early betting splits are 58/42 in support of the Under.

Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee game info

  • When: Thursday, March 21
  • Tip-off: 9:20 p.m. ET
  • Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.
  • How to watch: TNT

Saint Peter’s-Tennessee prediction made Monday at 2:40 p.m. ET.

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