Creighton vs. Tennessee Final Score Prediction for NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
By Reed Wallach
Creighton and Tennessee meet on Friday night for a spot in the Elite Eight in the South Region.
Neither team has made the Final Four, but Creighton will look to make it back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, but will face a rugged Tennessee team that is paced by an elite defense and a bucket getting wing in Dalton Knecht.
With such a high profile game, let’s try our hand at predicting the final score. No, it’s not likely this bet will hit, but this will give a little preview of how I see this game going between two teams with a high offense ceiling that love to push the pace.
With that being said, here’s some betting information for this one, as well as our expert analysis.
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Creighton vs. Tennessee Odds, Spread and Total
Creighton vs. Tennessee Expert Prediction
I’m rolling with the Vols to roll to the Regional Finals, here’s why:
On the other side, Greg McDermott’s bunch grades out dead last in turnover rate, a concerning trend against a Vols team that is top 70 nationally in offensive rebounding rate can offset a 12% 3-point shooting game against Texas with 10 more field goal attempts.
Further, Zeigler and Knecht may be able to unpack the Creighton defense with its pick-and-roll game. The Bluejays grade out in the 12th percentile in terms of defending pick-and-rolls in terms of points per possession, a concern against the Vols offense that is 85th percentile in that regard but doesn’t run it very much (8% of offensive possessions). Can this be the wrinkle that Rick Barnes uses to pull Kalkbrenner away from the rim?
There is a case to be made for both sides, two elite units, but I believe Tennessee can be relied upon more game-to-game and will have the best player on the floor in Knecht. Further, I believe that the team's ability to score from all three levels at a well-distributed rate is going to be the key against a Creighton team that lives and dies with the 3-point shot.
I’ll take the Vols to advance to the Elite Eight.
Creighton vs. Tennessee Final Score Prediction
So, I’m leaning with Tennessee, but I’m not sure how much separation the team can get from a Creighton team that has plenty of shot making.
Further, the Bluejays don’t foul a ton, the team has the lowest opponent free throw rate in the entire country, so the end of the game may not feature many free throws either, despite the Vols propensity to play a more physical brand of basketball.
With that being said, I’m going to stay right around the total in this game, set at 144, and with the Vols to win by a few possessions. The team’s ability to win the shot volume battle and get enough three-point regression following a poor game is going to be enough to get to the Elite Eight.
Expert Score Prediction: Tennessee 76, Creighton 70
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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