Creighton vs. Tennessee 2024 Sweet 16 Odds and Preview

By Hank Blaine • March 27, 2024

The final game of the Sweet 16 in this year’s NCAA Tournament is late Friday night from Detroit as Midwest No. 3 seed Creighton of the Big East faces No. 2 Tennessee of the SEC. The winner takes on either No. 1 Purdue or No 5 Gonzaga on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

Creighton is 0-1 all-time against Tennessee, losing 34-28 on Jan. 9, 1937 in Knoxville. McDermott has never faced Tennessee and is winless in five games all-time against Barnes, with all those games taking place when McDermott was at Iowa State and Barnes at Texas.

Creighton Bluejays vs. Tennessee Volunteers 2024 March Madness Sweet 16 Game Information

"March is a time for me to bring physicality, to be an anchor offensively and defensively."

Tobe on his crucial minutes in the win vs. Texas

@SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/QHsiIqTKfk
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) March 27, 2024

When: Friday, March 29th, 2024 at 10:09 pm ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
TV: TBS, truTV
Radio: 99.3 FM (Creighton) // KBME 790 AM (Tennessee)
Live Stream: March Madness Live
NCAAB Betting Odds: Creighton (+2.5) // Tennessee (-2.5)

Why Bet on the Creighton Bluejays?

Creighton opened the tournament with a 14-point win over No. 14 Akron and then needed two overtimes to take out No. 11 Oregon 86-73 in the Round of 32 on Saturday – a very tough break for Ducks backers in that Oregon didn’t cover despite getting the game to double OT. Creighton scored the first 15 points of that second OT.

“Epic game,” said coach Greg McDermott, who took over at Creighton for Dana Altman in 2010 and got his 325th career win, two away from Altman’s school record. “Not sure I’ve been part of one quite like it in 35 years.”

Trailing midway through the second half, the Ducks rallied into a 58-52 lead thanks to a 9-0 run fueled by their dynamic duo, N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard. But a missed free throw with 26 seconds left — Oregon’s first attempt of the game from the line — left the door open for Creighton to tie it, and the Bluejays did so before a potential winner by Couisnard at the buzzer didn’t fall. In the first OT, Couisnard hit a game-tying three with 16 seconds left and the Bluejays couldn’t win it at the buzzer.

Steven Ashworth finished with 21 points and four assists and Ryan Kalkbrenner added 19 points, 14 rebounds and five swats for the winners. Trey Alexander turned in 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Baylor Scheierman 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists as both men played all 50 minutes. The Jays shot 38.7 percent (29-75), made 15-of-39 three-pointers, and shot 13-of-14 at the line. CU won the rebound battle 48-43 and won despite being outscored 40-18 in the paint.

The following Creighton career NCAA Tournament records were broken in the win: Kalkbrenner (140) broke Doug McDermott’s (129) record for points and Scheierman (17) set the mark for made three-pointers, passing the mark of 16 held by Ethan Wragge and Kyle Korver.

Creighton is now 3-1 as a No. 3 seed all-time in the Dance. McDermott is now 11-8 as Creighton’s head coach in the NCAA Tournament; all other CU coaches are 8-17 in the NCAA Tournament. Creighton has won multiple games in the postseason for the fourth time in its last five trips.

The Bluejays boast an offense that shoots 48.5 percent from the floor, 78.4 percent at the line and 36.6 percent from three-point land while draining 10.7 three-pointers per contest (sixth-best nationally), which contributes to CU’s 80.6 points per game. The Jays also outrebound opponents by 4.7 caroms per contest. Creighton’s defense has held teams to 69.5 points per game and allowed opponents to make just 198 three-pointers all year. Its 11.35 fouls per game are the fewest in the nation. The Bluejays are the nation’s only team to not have a player foul out this season.

Why Bet on the Houston Cougars?

No. 2 seed Tennessee (26-8) routed No. 15 Saint Peter’s in Round 1 and then beat No. 7 Texas 62-58 in Round 2 on Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. UT has reached the Sweet 16 twice before under Coach Rick Barnes, but lost both times.

Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht, who iced the game with four late free throws, scored a game-high 18 points for the Vols, who led for over 36 minutes and forced 17 turnovers in a commanding defensive performance. Although Tennessee finished 22-of-65 (33.8 percent) from the floor and 3-of-12 (12.0 percent) beyond the arc, it went 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) on free throws and posted a 36-20 edge in paint points. The victors also tripled up Texas in points off turnovers, 15-5, while holding the Longhorns to a 20-of-55 (36.4 percent) clip from the floor.

UT became the second team ever to win an NCAA Tournament game while shooting under 34.0 percent from the floor and under 12.5 percent from 3-point range. Tennessee’s 26 wins this year match the fifth-highest single-season win total in program history, tying the marks in both 2017-18 and 1999-2000. The Volunteers are now 27-26 all-time in their 27 NCAA Tournament trips.

Knecht this week was named one of four finalists for the Naismith National Player of the Year along with North Carolina’s R.J. Davis, Purdue’s Zach Edey and Houston’s Jamal Shead. Knecht leads the nation in 39-point (three) and 35-point (five) showings this year, with each tally tying for the best single-season mark ever by a Volunteer. His 717 points in 2023-24 put him co-third on the program’s single-season scoring list, just seven shy of second place.

Creighton vs. Tennessee Betting Trends

Creighton is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games.
Bluejays are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games.
The total went over in 11 of Creighton’s last 16 games.
Tennessee is 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games.
Volunteers are 9-2 SU in its last 11 games.
The total went under in 5 of Tennessee’s last 6 games.

Creighton vs. Tennessee 2024 Sweet 16 Expert Prediction

Creighton takes the win on Friday night and heads into the Elite Eight.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2024 March Madness Tournament previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest college basketball odds on our online Crypto sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.