Tennessee vs Louisiana Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 16 NCAA Tournament Game (Offenses Quiet in Orlando)

Tennessee vs Louisiana Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Tournament Game
• No. 17 Tennessee (23-10) vs. Louisiana (26-7)
• Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
• Time: 9:40 PM ET
• Venue: Amway Center -- Orlando, Florida
• Coverage: CBS

The 2022-23 NCAA Tournament continues on Thursday, March 16 with a slate of exciting first-round matchups, including an East Region battle between the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers and No. 13 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

Tennessee's SEC Tournament entry was disappointing, to say the least, as it was eliminated by a 79-71 loss to Missouri in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Louisiana defeated South Alabama 71-66 to win the Sun Belt Championship in its last outing, extending the Ragin' Cajuns' winning streak to five consecutive games.

Which East Region team has the fortitude to advance to the second round?

Tennessee vs Louisiana Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: TENN: (-630) | ULL: (+440)
• Spread: TENN: -10.5 (-110) | ULL: +10.5 (-110)
• Total: 136.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Tennessee enters this contest as a clear favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9:40 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 136.5 points with both sides sitting at -110 odds.

Tennessee vs Louisiana Betting Trends

• Tennessee is 17-16-0 against the spread this season.
• The Volunteers have an ATS record of 10-5 as 10.5-point favorites or greater.
• Tennessee has seen 14 of its 33 games go over the point total.
• Louisiana is 17-13-0 against the spread this year.
• The Ragin' Cajuns don't have a win ATS (0-1) as a 10.5-point underdog or more this season.
• Louisiana has seen 18 of its 30 games go over the point total.

Tennessee Rank	Tennessee AVG		Louisiana AVG	Louisiana Rank
182nd	71.8	Points Scored	78	38th
3rd	58	Points Allowed	69.8	166th
12th	35.9	Rebounds	34	53rd
9th	11.5	Off. Rebounds	9.7	78th
126th	7.8	3pt Made	7.1	210th
9th	16.9	Assists	14.5	78th
120th	11.3	Turnovers	11.8	175th

Tennessee vs Louisiana Prediction & Pick

A matchup with Tennessee is anything but good news for Louisiana. The Ragin' Cajuns have dropped six straight games against the Volunteers, losing by an average of 16.5 points. The Cajuns won't feel any more confident knowing that the Vols have also won 17 of their last 18 encounters with a Sun Belt team.

With Louisiana playing in a weaker conference, it isn't used to dealing with an elite defense like Tennessee's unit. The Volunteers are a top-three team when it comes to points, field-goal percentage and three-point percentage allowed. They also ranked 18th when it comes to total rebounds, whereas the Ragin's Cajuns sit at No. 77 in that regard.

Tennessee will take its frustration out on Louisiana, sending the Ragin' Cajuns home in the process.

Final Score Prediction: Tennessee: 70 | Louisiana: 64

Tennessee vs Louisiana Best Bet

As for the best bet, I'm siding with the total finishing with fewer than 136.5 points. While Tennessee's defense is fantastic, Louisiana has been playing better defensively as of late, allowing just 59.3 PPG over its last four outings. On top of that, the under is 5-1 in the Ragin' Cajuns' last six games, as well as 7-3 in the Volunteers' last 10 as the favorite.

Back the under in what should be a low-scoring affair.

Bet: Under 136.5 Points (-110)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. 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.