Saint Louis vs Tennessee Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 18 NCAA Women's Tournament Game (Back the Underdog)

Saint Louis vs Tennessee Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Women's Tournament Game
• Saint Louis (17-17, 4-10 Away) vs. No. 23 Tennessee (23-11, 14-4 Home)
• Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023
• Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Thompson-Boling Arena -- Knoxville, TN
• Coverage: ESPN

The 2023 NCAA Women's Tournament continues on Saturday with an exciting first round matchup between the Saint Louis Bilikens and Tennessee Volunteers. This is the first time the Bilikens have ever been in the NCAA Tournament, while the Volunteers are making their 41st straight appearance.

Saint Louis emerged victorious in a 91-85 overtime win against UMass its last time out in the A-10 Championship. Meanwhile, Tennessee couldn't keep up in a 74-58 loss to South Carolina in the SEC Championship back on March 5. Which team will advance with a victory on Saturday afternoon?

Saint Louis vs Tennessee Odds & Spread

• All women's college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: SLU: (+1800) | TENN: (-8000)
• Spread: SLU: +23.5 (-106) | TENN: -23.5 (-114)
• Total: 143.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Tennessee enters this contest as a substantial favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 1 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 143.5 points with both sides available at -110 odds.

Saint Louis vs Tennessee Prediction & Pick

Saint Louis is a massive underdog here for a reason. They travel to Knoxville to face a Tennessee team that is averaging 77.7 points and allowing only 63.2 points during home games this season. Keep in mind the Volunteers logged their best win of the season over a top-10 LSU team on March 4.

That's important to note because even though Tennessee lost in the SEC Championship, it is playing its best basketball of the season in March. The Volunteers have appeared in every single Women's Tournament (41) and have lost their opening game only twice. Don't expect a big upset in this one.

Look for Rickea Jackson (19.6 points & 6.3 rebounds per game) to lead her team to a victory here.

Final Score Prediction: Saint Louis: 60 | Tennessee: 80

Saint Louis vs Tennessee Best Bet

The Volunteers have a perfect opportunity to advance to the second round once again, but covering a 23.5-point spread is too much to ask. Tennessee has only won one game by more than 23 points since the calendar turned to 2023. Saint Louis hasn't lost by more than 23 points since Jan. 7, either.

Look for the Volunteers to build a big early lead in this one and take their foot off the gas at the end.

Bet: Saint Louis Bilikens +23.5 (-106)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.