Tennessee Basketball Opens As Underdogs Against Iowa State In Sweet 16

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Tennessee basketball opened as 4.5-point underdogs against Iowa State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament according to the DKSportsbook. The Vols are 15-19 against this spread this season after covering as favorites in both of their games the opening weekend of the tournament. Iowa State is 21-14 against the spread this season after covering in both of its first round matchups.

Why it matters

Tennessee has played Iowa State just three times in program history, owning a 2-1 record. The Vols won in Ames in the lone meeting during Rick Barnes' tenure. This will be an important matchup between two teams looking to advance to the Elite Eight.

The details

Six-seed Tennessee knocked off the Cavaliers on Sunday night in Philadelphia thanks to one of its most complete performances of the season. Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored a team-high 22 points but the Vols got contributions from up-and-down their roster. Two-seed Iowa State is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2024 after using a massive second half to rout Kentucky 82-63 in the Round of 32 on Sunday afternoon.

• Tennessee and Iowa State will tipoff at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday night in Chicago.
• Iowa State star forward Joshua Jefferson suffered a right leg injury in the win over Tennessee State and missed the Round of 32 matchup against Kentucky. Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said Sunday that Jefferson would undergo an MRI on Monday when the team gets back to Ames.

What they’re saying

What’s next

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