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March Madness 2021: Best bets for Friday’s Round of 64 action

By Matt Melton

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 22: Zion Williamson #1, Cam Reddish #2, Tre Jones #3, RJ Barrett #5 and Javin DeLaurier #12 of the Duke Blue Devils take the court prior to the game against the North Dakota State Bison during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 22: Zion Williamson #1, Cam Reddish #2, Tre Jones #3, RJ Barrett #5 and Javin DeLaurier #12 of the Duke Blue Devils take the court prior to the game against the North Dakota State Bison during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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March Madness Santiago Vescovi Tennessee Volunteers (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
March Madness Santiago Vescovi Tennessee Volunteers (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Tennessee to Cover -8.5 and to Win Outright

5-seed Tennessee has been one of the top teams in the SEC all season long, while 12-seed Oregon State stole an automatic bid after they won the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time ever.

While neither team will necessarily blow you away offensively, the Volunteers display an elite defense that ranks 4th in the country according to KenPom. Tennessee does however have numerous players with the ability to take over the game offensively, with seven players averaging 8+ PPG. Something to monitor however is the availability of Tennessee’s John Fulkerson, who missed the SEC Tournament Semifinal due to an injury suffered in the SEC Quarterfinals against Florida.

We know what Tennessee is, but what about Oregon State? The Beavers struggle at times offensively only averaging 70.7 PPG, and are led by guard Ethan Thompson who averages 15.3 PPG on 40.5% shooting but is one of the worst defensive teams among teams in the Field of 64 ranking 117th in the country.

While one could argue that the 17-12 Beavers just got hot at the right time, Tennessee will be too much for Oregon State to handle. Expect the Volunteers to win outright, as well as cover the 8.5-point spread in a dominant showing on both ends, especially defensively.

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