Tennessee vs Florida Atlantic Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 23 NCAA Tournament Game (Trust the Favorite)

Tennessee vs Florida Atlantic Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
• No. 20 Tennessee (25-10) vs. No. 25 Florida Atlantic (33-3)
• Date: Thursday, March 23, 2023
• Time: 9:00 PM ET
• Venue: Madison Square Garden -- New York City, New York
• Coverage: TBS

The 2023 NCAA Tournament continues on Thursday with a Sweet 16 matchup between the No. 9 Florida Atlantic Owls and No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers. Florida Atlantic is aiming to make the Elite 8 for the first time ever, while Tennessee is looking to move past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010.

Florida Atlantic is coming off a 78-70 second-round victory over Farleigh Dickinson as Johnell Davis balled out with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. Meanwhile, Tennessee defeated Duke in a 65-52 win behind the efforts of Olivier Nkamhoua (27 points). Which team will advance with a victory?

Tennessee vs Florida Atlantic Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: TENN: (-235) | FAU: (+188)
• Spread: TENN: -4.5 (-115) | FAU: +4.5 (-105)
• Total: 131.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Tennessee enters this contest as a small favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This Sweet 16 clash also features an over/under of 131.5 points, with both sides available at -110 odds.

Tennessee vs Florida Atlantic Betting Trends

• Tennessee has covered the spread 18 times in 35 games.
• As 4.5-point favorites or more, the Volunteers are 15-13 against the spread.
• Tennessee has played 35 games this season, and 14 of them have gone over the total.
• Against the spread, Florida Atlantic is 23-11-0 this season.
• The Owls have won once ATS (1-1) as a 4.5-point underdog or greater this season.
• This year, 18 of Florida Atlantic's 34 games have gone over the point total.

Tennessee Rank	Tennessee AVG		Florida Atlantic AVG	Florida Atlantic Rank
187th	71.2	Points Scored	78.4	32nd
3rd	57.8	Points Allowed	65.1	41st
22nd	35.5	Rebounds	35.9	14th
14th	11.3	Off. Rebounds	9.5	89th
134th	7.7	3pt Made	9.7	12th
8th	16.8	Assists	14.6	70th
132nd	11.4	Turnovers	11.1	103rd

Tennessee vs Florida Atlantic Prediction & Pick

Relentless physicality has resulted in back-to-back tournament wins for the Volunteers. Tennessee ranks first in defensive efficiency and third in points allowed per game (57.8) for a reason. It has the size to shut down opposing big men in the paint and the length to contest three-point attempts.

In fact, the Volunteers rank No. 1 in opponent three-point shooting percentage (26.4%), which is nightmarish for a Florida Atlantic team that scores 37.2% of its points from beyond the arc (No. 25 in NCAA). Taking away the Owls' ability to shoot from deep makes them completely one-dimensional.

There's one more statistic that drives the point home. Florida Atlantic has been crushing opponents on the boards, ranking 22nd in total rebounding percentage (53.6%). However, Tennessee ranks ninth in total rebounding percentage (54.7%). The Volunteers are bigger and badder in every way here.

Final Score Prediction: Tennessee: 70 | Florida Atlantic: 60

Tennessee vs Florida Atlantic Best Bet

Tennessee has an advantage in almost every facet of this matchup and enters an impressive 14-6 against the spread (ATS) when its score at least 65.0 points. That is worth pointing out considering Florida Atlantic has allowed at least 65 points in each of their first two tournament showdowns.

The Owls have lost 13 of their last 15 games against an SEC opponent and passed their biggest test of the season against Memphis thanks to a last-second layup. FAU has yet to see a defense that rivals that of Tennessee's, so expect the Owls to go down early on and never quite make their way back.

Bet: Tennessee Volunteers -4.5 (-115)

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.