Tennessee’s odds to win the NCAA Tournament have been getting worse since early January.
The Vols opened the season at 28/1 to win the title before peaking at 12/1 on Jan. 6. They have decreased ever since then and are now listed at 50/1 entering Friday’s Round of 64 matchup with Oregon State.
Tennessee is favored to get past the Beavers, though. Circa Sports—a Vegas-based sportsbook—opened the Vols as 9-point favorites. The early betting action has been on the underdog, moving the line to -8.
DraftKings has Tennessee listed at -345 on the moneyline, which translates to around a 78% chance of advancing. If the Vols do get the win, they would face the winner of Oklahoma State and Liberty in the Round of 32.
They are priced at +120 (45.5%) to make the Sweet 16 and +650 (13.3%) to appear in the program’s second-ever Elite Eight. It would take a few upsets to get to the Final Four, which DraftKings has listed at 10/1 (9.1%).
KenPom’s ratings can be used to create betting lines for hypothetical matchups. Tennessee would be around a 2-point favorite against Oklahoma State or a 12-point favorite against Liberty in the Round of 32.
If the Vols advanced to the Sweet 16, they would likely be matched up against No. 1 seed Illinois. The Fighting Illini would be somewhere in the ballpark of 10-point favorites in that game.
Some bettors have been eying the Vols as a potential sleeper in the Big Dance. They are the ninth-most bet on team to win the title at FanDuel Sportsbook, according to Darren Rovell of the Action Network. The top four seeds have received the most action so far.
Top 10 most bet on teams to win the NCAA Tournament at @FDSportsbook:
1. Michigan
2. Illinois
3. Gonzaga
4. Baylor
5. Iowa
6. Ohio State
7. Alabama
8. Villanova
9. Tennessee
10. West Virginia— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 15, 2021
The odds for any of the five seeds to make the Final Four are +280, according to offshore sportsbook Bovada—it also released odds for 35 different players to win Most Outstanding Player, but no Tennessee players are listed.
Tennessee’s over-under for total points against Oregon State is 69.5, while the Beavers have a total of 62.5. The odds of Friday afternoon’s game going to overtime are 13/1.
