The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns take on the Tennessee Volunteers. Check out our March Madness odds series for our Louisiana Tennessee prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Louisiana Tennessee.
The Tennessee Volunteers will go into this game without guard Zakai Zeigler, a strong defender who added a lot of value to coach Rick Barnes' team. Can the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns take advantage? A lot of people are anticipating a second-round game between Tennessee and Duke. Louisiana will try to spoil the party in the Big Dance.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Louisiana-Tennessee March Madness odds.
March Madness Odds: Louisiana-Tennessee Odds
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns: +11.5 (-105)
Tennessee Volunteers: -11.5 (-115)
Over: 136.5 (-110)
Under: 136.5 (-110)
How To Watch Louisiana vs. Tennessee
TV: CBS
Stream: CBSSports.com, fuboTV
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET, 6:40 p.m. PT
*Watch Louisiana-Tennessee LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Louisiana Could Cover the Spread
The Tennessee Volunteers already entered March with noticeable and well-known flaws. Then things got worse. They suffered an injury to guard Zakai Zeigler, one of their most reliable players and one of their elite defensive stoppers. Not having Zeigler certainly played a role in the Vols falling in the SEC standings late in the season. Tennessee was a top-three team for much of the SEC regular season, but UT lost out on a first-round bye at the SEC Tournament, settling for the No. 5 seed at that tournament. Tennessee really missed Zeigler in its last regular-season game, a loss at Auburn, and then in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals against Missouri, which was another loss for the Vols. Coach Rick Barnes faces a huge challenge in terms of getting his team to compensate for Zeigler's absence.
Barnes also faces a real challenge in terms of getting his Tennessee team to generate enough offense in March. This is where the Vols usually fall short in March. They didn't have enough offense against Michigan last March. They were horrible at the offensive end of the floor against Oregon State in their 2021 exit from the NCAA Tournament. Can the story be different for Tennessee this time? The Vols do not enter the Big Dance with the confidence or the level of form which suggests it will end well for them.
Why Tennessee Could Cover the Spread
The Vols know they didn't make the grade in the SEC Tournament without Zeigler on the floor. They know they have to play better, and they know they are capable of playing better. You will see an inspired, dedicated, focused performance from a Tennessee team which might actually benefit from its early loss in the SEC Tournament. That early loss gave the Vols more rest and a better chance to recharge their batteries for March Madness. It is something worth noting and watching with a lot of different teams which make their way to the NCAA Tournament: Just because they lost early in their conference tournaments, that doesn't mean they are doomed for March. You will see teams lose in their conference tourneys and then come right back with a strong NCAA Tournament, partly because they are no longer playing in their own conference and they can throw matchup problems at their opponents. This is what Tennessee can do.
Final Louisiana-Tennessee Prediction & Pick
Tennessee has the better team, but the Zeigler injury is a point of uncertainty which clouds the overall analytical picture attached to this contest. Ultimately, you should stay away from this game.
Final Louisiana-Tennessee Prediction & Pick: Louisiana +11.5
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