After limping into the NCAA Tournament and nearly being knocked off by Louisiana-Lafayette in the opening round, the Tennessee Volunteers took down Duke to make it to the regional semis.
The No. 4 seed Vols draw a Sweet 16 matchup with the No. 9 Florida Atlantic Owls and will tip off at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 23. The game will be televised nationally on TBS.
Let’s dig into the sport betting bonuses available for the game and a preview of Tennessee vs. FAU Mach Madness odds.
Tennessee March Madness Betting Bonuses
DraftKings Sportsbook Promo Code — Claim $1,200 in Betting Bonuses
All new users who sign up with our DraftKings promo code link above and deposit at least $5 can take advantage of two March Madness bonuses worth up to $1,200 in bonus bets.
Your $5 deposit automatically qualifies you for a $50 bonus bet and a 20% deposit match worth up to $1,000 from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Then, new users who place and win a $5 moneyline bet will receive an additional $150 in bonus bets. If your bet hits, you’ll receive six $25 bet credits.
Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code STARTFULL — Score a $1,250 First Bet on Caesars
Caesars Sportsbook offers one of the highest-value promos in the industry.
With our Caesars promo code STARTFULL and a $10 deposit, Caesars will match your first wager as a bet credit up to $1,250 if your bet settles as a loss.
Essentially, your first bet comes with a “safety net” in the event it goes awry.
BetMGM Bonus Code ROCKYBET — Get $1,000 Back if your First Bet Loses
BetMGM Sportsbook is giving new users the option to choose between two sports betting promos during March Madness. You can only claim one of the offers and each uses a specific link and promo code.
Option 1: Use BetMGM promo code ROCKYBET for a first bet offer worth up to $1,000.
Your first option is BetMGM’s standard new user promo that works the same as the Caesars offer above. If your first bet with BetMGM results in a loss, your wager amount will be matched as a bonus bet worth a maximum of $1,000.
Option 2: Place a $5 bet on any NCAA tournament game and receive $200 in bonus bets with BetMGM promo code ROCKYSB.
Users also have the option to choose the bet-and-get offer which is our personal favorite. All new users will receive $200 in bonus bets for simply placing a $5 wager on any NCAA tournament game.
FanDuel Promo Code — Claim a $1,000 No Sweat First Bet
The FanDuel Sportsbook No Sweat First Bet offer functions the same as the first bet offers laid out above.
FanDuel will match your wager amount in bet credits, up to $1,000, if your first bet settles as a loss. Although the value is less than the Caesars offer, FanDuel provides more flexibility by allowing you to split your bet credit across multiple wagers.
March Madness History
Before we dive into the spread, moneyline, and total for the Volunteers’ Sweet 16 matchup against the Owls, let’s step back and take a wider look at the tournament history for both teams and their respective seeds. All records mentioned below will be since 1985 when March Madness expanded to its current format.
Including this year, Tennessee has been in the tournament 17 times and has made it to the Sweet 16 seven of those seasons. Unfortunately, the Volunteers have only progressed to the Elite Eight once, losing to the Michigan State Spartans by one point in 2010.
As far as No. 4 seeds in general, there have been 70 Sweet 16 appearances. The record for No. 4 seeds in those games is ugly, however, going just 22-48.
This is just the second time in school history FAU has made it to the NCAA Tournament. The Owls’ record is 2-1 as their first appearance in 2002 ended with a loss to No. 2 Alabama in the opening round.
This will mark the eighth time a No. 9 seed has made it to the Sweet 16, going 4-3 in those games.
Tennessee vs. FAU Odds and Betting Trends
Here are the consensus betting odds for the Tennessee-Florida Atlantic Sweet 16 game across the top online sportsbooks as of March 21.
| TEAM | POINT SPREAD | MONEYLINE | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Volunteers | -5.5 (-115) | -245 | Over 130.5 points |
| Florida Atlantic Owls | +5.5 (-105) | +200 | Under 130.5 points |
While 5.5 is the most common spread, those wanting to back the Vols will want to head to FanDuel Sportsbook where the line is 4.5 at the time of this writing. For those who think FAU will cover the spread, you’ll want to take the 5.5 found at most online sportsbooks.
Tennessee’s moneyline odds aren’t incredibly enticing from a profit standpoint, but you can find slightly better odds for the Volunteers at Caesars Sportsbook at -240.
The Owls and Vols are closer in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin than one might think just by looking at their respective seeds. While Tennessee has the edge at sixth overall, FAU isn’t far behind at 22nd. The Owls rank higher in adjusted offensive efficiency versus the Volunteers at 30th compared to 60th. Tennessee, however, leads the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency while Florida Atlantic comes in at 35th.
Just in case Vols fans needed any more reason to root against FAU, their head coach Dusty Mays was an assistant coach at Florida before taking over for the Owls.
Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Betting Trends
- Tennessee is 18-17 against the spread (ATS) this year
- As a favorite, Tennessee is 17-14 ATS
- The Vols have one of the lowest Under rates in the country, going 21-13-1 (61.8%)
- Rick Barnes is 2-13 ATS in his March Madness appearances as head coach (Tennessee and Texas)
Florida Atlantic Owls Betting Trends
- The Owls are tied for the ninth-best cover percentage ATS at 66.7% (22-11-1)
- As underdogs, FAU is 4-2 ATS
- Florida Atlantic is 17-16-1 when it comes to the over-under
Article contributed by Cody Kutzer | Photo courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
