Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee Prediction, Odds and Key Players for NCAA Tournament First Round (Lay the Points)
Saint Peter’s will be a familiar name on thousands of brackets after the Peacocks’ improbable run to the Elite Eight in 2022. Saint Peter’s is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that Cinderella story, but can they replicate it? Saint Peter’s lost its last two regular-season games but reeled off three straight victories to capture another MAAC Tournament title.
No. 15 Saint Peter’s prize for winning that championship is a date with No. 2 Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Volunteers were slated to be a No. 1 seed, but a one-and-done trip in the SEC Tournament dropped them to the No. 2 slot. Can the Volunteers pull away in a first-round matchup of two defensive-minded clubs? Here’s the betting breakdown of the matchup with a best bet.
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Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee Odds, Spread and Total
Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee Betting Trends
- Saint Peter’s is 20-11 ATS this season
- Tennessee is 16-15-1 ATS this season
- Saint Peter’s is 10-6 ATS as an underdog this season
- Tennessee is 14-12-1 ATS as a favorite this season
- The OVER is 15-16 in Saint Peter’s games this season
- The OVER is 16-16 in Tennessee games this season
Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee How to Watch
- Date: Thursday, March 21
- Game time: 9:20 p.m. EST
- Venue: Spectrum Center
- How to watch (TV): TNT
- St. Peter’s record: 19-13
- Tennessee record: 24-8
Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee Key Players to Watch
Saint Peter’s
Corey Washington: An all-around stat-stuffer for the Peacocks, Washington averages a team-high 16.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Washington, who shoots 46.6% from the field, has scored 20-plus points in three of the last five games, including a 24-point, 9-rebound performance in the MAAC Championship win over Fairfield.
Tennessee
Zakai Zeigler: While Dalton Knecht rightfully grabs the majority of headlines involving the Volunteers, Zeigler has been a nice complimentary scorer this season. The 5-foot-9 junior guard averages 11.9 points per game but has scored over that mark in five consecutive games. He was Tennessee’s best player on offense in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal loss to Mississippi State, pouring in a team-high 20 points with four 3-pointers.
Saint Peter’s vs. Tennessee Prediction and Pick
Will Saint Peter’s defense stay hot? The Peacocks’ defense is No. 22 in effective field goal percentage, according to KenPom, along with top-50 metrics against shots from both inside and beyond the arc, as well as turnover percentage.
However, this is a gargantuan step up in class against Tennessee’s high-flying offense. According to KenPom, Saint Peter’s played the 311th hardest schedule of opposing offenses. Tennessee is No. 29 in offensive efficiency and was top-5 in the SEC in every major shooting metric. Tennessee’s offense can put up points and its defense can suffocate a sub-par Peacocks’ offense that has struggled all season.
Saint Peter’s is No. 305 in offensive efficiency and is one of the worst shooting teams in the country (No. 349 in effective field goal percentage). They’ll face one of the nation’s top defenses in Tennessee, which is No. 3 in efficiency and bullies opponents down low as a top-tier unit against shots from 2-point range. The Volunteers will be too much on Thursday. Lay the points.
Pick: Tennessee -19.5
Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.