#4 Tennessee vs. #13 Louisiana Basketball Predictions, Picks & Odds, 3/16

The time has finally come for March Madness with a flurry of first round games taking place today. If you’re anything like most sports fans, you’ve probably already filled out a bracket and have a general idea of who’s playing who. We want to discuss one of those matchups today as we’ll be getting into the Tennessee Volunteers’ contest with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

Below, our experts have crafted some Tennessee vs. Louisiana basketball predictions that have produced a best bet for you to use before tonight’s game. We’ll also lay out the latest welcome offer from FanDuel Sportsbook, which you could secure in time for the matchup.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS VS. LOUISIANA RAGIN’ CAJUNS PREDICTION: Tennessee -10.5 (-120 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

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Tennessee Volunteers vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns Basketball Predictions for Today

Our Tennessee vs. Louisiana basketball predictions at FanDuel Sportsbook are up ahead, but how could we make a pick on the game without doing some background research? Let’s take a peek at the paths each of these teams took in order to reach this very point.

Going 3-4 down the stretch to end the regular season/SEC Tournament, the Volunteers certainly haven’t been able to consistently play well as of late. Still, this is arguably the best defensive team in the country. 

They rank first in both opponent field goal percentage (36.4%) and opponent three-point percentage (25.5%) while allowing just 57.5 points per game, good for fourth in the nation. While their offense hasn’t matched their defensive play, they still possess a dynamic playmaker in Santiago Vescovi, who averages nearly 13 points per game.

Winners of five straight games, the Ragin’ Cajuns are on the other end of the spectrum as they sport a top offense coupled with a lackluster defense. They’re ranked in the country’s top 30 in field goal percentage (19th, 48.5%), three-point percentage (27th, 37.7%), and points per game (27th, 79.1). As was just stated, they aren’t too solid of a defensive team as they rank outside the top 200 in the nation in those same three categories on that end of the floor.

There’s always a chance of an upset with any of these tournament games, but that’s especially true when the 13 and 4 seeds get together. It should be a solid game for most of it, but we like the Volunteers to end up pulling away in the end. Their spread is our best bet for our Tennessee vs. Louisiana basketball predictions.

March Madness Picks & Best Bets for Tennessee vs. Louisiana Including Tennessee -10.5

Despite the Volunteers losing guard Zakai Zeigler for the remainder of the season, Tennessee is still the team we like in our Tennessee vs. Louisiana basketball predictions. They have enough talent and matchup advantages to cover the number of 10.5.

The focal point for Louisiana offensively is Jordan Brown, as he ranks 54th nationally in usage rate. He ranks in the 80th percentile in post-up offense, according to Synergy, and drops 19.4 points per game. Unfortunately for Louisiana, the Vols’ interior defense is an extremely difficult matchup for Brown. Per Hoop-Math, the Volunteers rank 20th nationally in field goal percentage defense at the rim.

When low and mid-majors meet in NCAA Tournament games, it’s important to examine their performances against similar competition. In this matchup, season data paints a gloomy picture for the Ragin’ Cajuns’ chances. Not only did they lose by 28 points against Texas, but the Volunteers won 10 separate times this season by at least 25 points.

It’s likely the Ragin’ Cajuns will hang around for a bit being a talented and well-coached team, but look for the Volunteers to cover the spread. You can tail our Tennessee vs. Louisiana basketball predictions and bet Tennessee -10.5 at -120 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook after you sign up using this link.

How to Bet on Tennessee -10.5 with FanDuel and Get a $200 Promo Code

Whether you plan on wagering on our Tennessee vs. Louisiana basketball predictions or not, make sure you register for a new account at FanDuel Sportsbook today. By doing so, you’ll claim their latest welcome offer which gives new members 10 times their wager amount in bonus bets up to $200. The outcome of your qualifying wager is completely irrelevant.

We haven’t even mentioned the best part, which is the fact that there’s no FanDuel promo code required either. Once your account is up and running, just deposit $10+ and place a wager up to $20 on our Tennessee vs. Louisiana basketball predictions or any other market. Within 72 hours of your qualifying wager settling, you’ll be issued your bonus bets worth $200. It doesn’t get much better than this so sign up here to get started.

Odds, Lines and Spreads for Tennessee vs. Louisiana in the NCAA Tournament

We’ve dished out our Tennessee vs. Louisiana basketball predictions, so what are the odds for the matchup? The Volunteers come in as 10.5-point favorites priced at -120 odds. A $10 wager on their spread profits $8.70 if they win by at least 12 points. The Ragin’ Cajuns would then be 10.5-point underdogs with a -120 price tag, and a $10 wager would earn you $8.33 if they lose by less than 12, or win the game outright.

The total is set at 136.5 points with both the over and under priced at -110. As for the money line, Tennessee is priced at -690 while Louisiana’s price sits at +480. All these odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook where you could claim your sign-up offer today and be prepared for the rest of the tournament with bonus bets totaling $200.

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