Michigan vs Tennessee Odds and Picks for March Madness Round of 32

• Tennessee is a 5.5-point favorite over Michigan in an NCAA Tournament South Region game Friday
• Michigan is looking for its fifth straight Sweet Sixteen appearance.
• Read below for the Michigan vs Tennessee odds, analysis, and betting prediction

No. 3 seed Tennessee (27-7, 21-13 ATS) is a 5.5-point favorite over Michigan in an NCAA Tournament South Region game Friday at 5:15 pm ET on CBS at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The Volunteers have won 12 of their last 13, 8-5 ATS.

No. 11 seed Michigan (18-14, 14-18 ATS) was one of the last at-large teams selected to the field of 68. The Wolverines have alternated wins and losses in their last nine games, advancing with a 75-63 victory over Colorado State.

Michigan vs Tennessee Odds

Odds from Caesars Sportsbook on March 18. See Caesars Sportsbook promo codes. Editor’s note: The point spread had been bet up to Tennessee -6 (-110) early on March 19.

Tennessee is a 5.5-point favorite over Michigan in an NCAA South Region game, with the total set at 136.5. Tennessee is -250 on the moneyline, which means the Volunteers have a 71.4% implied win probability. The Wolverines are +200 on the moneyline, which translates into a 33.3% implied win probability.

The Volunteers, who beat  Kentucky (twice), Auburn and Arizona, is listed at +2100 in the NCAA Tournament champion odds.  Arizona is +590, Kentucky is +600 and Auburn is +1600.

Wolves’ Collins Steps In, Steps Up

Michigan freshman point guard 6’1 Frankie Collins proved to be a more-than-suitable replacement for starter DeVante Jones in the first round victory over No. 6 seed Colorado State.

Collins had 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting and had six rebounds in 31 minutes, and he had seven straight in the first half to make a large early deficit  more manageable. A touted recruit, he averaged 2.5 points in about nine minutes per game in the regular season.

Jones missed the game while in concussion protocol after taking an elbow in the nose and suffering concussion symptoms in practice early last week. He did not travel to Indianapolis, and his status for Saturday’s game is unknown, which obviously plays into their odds to reach the Final Four.

Senior 6’1 Jones averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the regular season.

Volunteers Coast in First Round

You could make a case that Tennessee is the most underseeded team in the tournament, and the smallish but pesky Volunteers looked the part while shooting 60 percent from the floor in their 88-56 blowout of Longwood.

The Vols also shot 48.3 percent from three-point range and had five double-figure scorers, led by all-purpose guard Santiago Vescovi, who had 18 points (on six threes), seven assists and four steals.

Tennessee, which entered the tournament limiting opponents to 40.3 percent from the field, held Longwood to 38.5 percent.

Vols guards 6′ Kennedy Chandler had 13 points, five assists and four steals and 6’6 Josiah-Jordan James had 17 points and nine rebounds. All-SEC Defensive Team member 5’9 Zakai Zeigler had 10 points and six assists.

Michigan’s Mid-Game Adjustments

The 11th seeded Wolverines trailed Colorado State 28-13 and had nine turnovers in the first 15 minutes  before recovering to win going away.

Coach Juwan Howard’s changing defenses kept the Rams at bay late, and the Wolverines took advantage of 7′ Hunter Dickinson’s physicality to work the ball inside. Michigan shot 60 percent in the second half, and in the game outscored Colorado State 34-16 in the paint and had a 36-25 rebounding advantage.

Hunter Dickinson comes up with a CLUTCH and-1 💪#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/GEWJPbSgxC

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022

Dickinson had 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting with six rebounds and four blocked shots. He can occasionally stray to the perimeter — he was 18 for 57 on 3-point attempts this season — but attempted only one shot from distance Thursday.

The Rams made eight of their 12 three-pointers in the first half, and their 10th three put them up 44-38 in the second half before the Wolverines’ adjustments and Dickinson’s presence helped them to a 15-5 run for a lead they never lost. Eli Brooks had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Michigan vs Tennessee H2H Results

Michigan has won six of the 11 previous meetings, the last two in their only meetings in the  NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2011.

Few players will have as important a performance as Michigan's Frankie Collins today. First start of the season, had played single-digit minutes in 13 of last 14 games, averaged 1.6 points in 6.6 minutes over that span. Went for 14 points, 6 boards, gradually grew in confidence.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 17, 2022

The Wolverines beat Tennessee 73-71 but did not cover the three-point number as the No. 2 seed in the 2014 Sweet Sixteen in Indianapolis.

Michigan won and covered in a 75-45 rout of the Volunteers in the second round of the 2011 West regionals, Bruce Pearl’s final game at Tennessee. He was fired a week later for repeated NCAA violations.

Michigan vs Tennessee Prediction

The Volunteers play a pesky, pressure style and are a hard team to match up against because of their athletic activity on the defensive end. Michigan pulled away from Colorado State because, well, the Mountain West. The inconsistent Wolverines have not won and covered two straight games since mid-January, and even with Jones would be at a disadvantage in this one.

The pick: Tennessee -5.5 (-110)

Other March Madness Content

Second Round Game Previews (Saturday)

1. Baylor vs UNC Odds, Lines and Spread (12:10 pm ET)
2. Kansas vs Creighton Odds, Lines, and Spread (2:40 am ET)
3. Richmond vs Providence Odds, Lines and Spread (6:10 pm ET)
4. UCLA vs Saint Mary’s Odds and Picks (7:10 pm ET)
5. Saint Peter’s vs Murray State Odds, Lines, and Spread (7:45 pm ET)
6. New Mexico State vs Arkansas Picks and Odds (8:40 pm ET)
7. Gonzaga vs Memphis Odds and Picks (9:40 pm ET)

Regional Previews

1. East Region Odds — Baylor Earns Top Seed, Kentucky Favored
2. Midwest Region Odds See Kansas Favored Over Auburn, Iowa and Wisconsin
3. South Region Odds: Arizona +110 Favorites, Tennessee & Houston Sleepers
4. West Regional Odds: Gonzaga Odds-On Favorite to Reach Final Four

General

• SBD’s Expert Brackets and March Madness Picks 2022
• March Madness Odds Favor Gonzaga at +350 After Selection Sunday
• March Madness Odds for All First Round Games
• Printable 2022 March Madness Bracket – Make Your Picks for the NCAA Tournament