Tennessee-Colgate Betting Odds: Opening Spread, Analysis for 2019 NCAA Tournament

#2 Tennessee vs. #15 Colgate NCAA Tournament Betting Odds

• Spread: Tennessee -17.5
• Over/Under: 152
• Date: Friday, March 22
• Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
• Location: Columbis, Ohio
• TV: CBS

Tennessee's Statistical Profile

Tennessee finished the regular season as the top team in the SEC according to KenPom, just ahead of the Kentucky Wildcats. However, the Vols did not finish as strong as coach Rick Barnes would have preferred.

Barnes' squad got hammered by Kentucky on the road, 86-69, starting a stretch in which the team lost three of its final seven games, albeit those losses came in tough road matchups against Kentucky, LSU and Auburn.

The Vols did win the key rubber match against the Wildcats in the seminfinals of the SEC Tournament, but suffered a huge letdown in Sunday's championship game in a disastrous 20-point loss to Auburn. — PJ Walsh

• Record: 29-5
• Adj. Efficiency Rank: 7
• Adj. Offensive Efficiency Rank: 3
• Adj. Defensive Efficiency Rank: 30
• Tempo Rank: 157

All advanced metrics via KenPom as of Friday, March 15

Colgate's Statistical Profile

Colgate took home the Patriot League Title to get their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1996. The Raiders are not exactly a great team, though, as you probably guessed. Per KenPom’s efficiency ratings, they are the 126th best team in the country.

Though they enter the tourney on a nine game win streak, they don’t really have any legit wins this year against good non-conference foes. Their solid offensive efficiency (60th in the nation) and poor defensive efficiency (204th) caused some high scoring games, as 12 of their 18 games with lines went over. In both trips to the tourney in the school’s history, they’ve been a #16 seed and were ousted in the first round. — Mark Gallant

• Record: 24-10
• Adj. Efficiency Rank: 126
• Adj. Offensive Efficiency Rank: 60
• Adj. Defensive Efficiency Rank: 204
• Tempo Rank: 239

All advanced metrics via KenPom as of Friday, March 15

Tennessee-Colgate Instant Bracket, Betting Picks

Colgate actually does have a very clean offense with shooters all over. The Raiders are 14th overall in effective FG% nationally and 13th from behind the arc. They are winners of 11 straight games and will lean on Patriot Player of the Year Rapolas Ivanauskas, a 6-foot-10 forward who can step out and stroke. He's shooting 43.4% on the year.

If Tennessee does have a weakness on the defensive end, its defending the 3. The Vols finished 10th in the SEC during conference play defending the perimeter. Colgate could hang around early if it is hitting its 3s, but this is just an enormous athletic mismatch, and the excellent Tennessee defense should get whatever it wants. It should eventually ""brush"" aside Colgate.

For reference, Colgate lost all four of its games vs. power conference opponents by double digits this year. While the Raiders minimized the damage, losing to Pitt, South Florida and Penn State by just 10-14 points, they did lose by 21 to Syracuse, the only tourney team they played this season.

Early ATS lean: Colgate
Early bracket pick: Tennessee — Stuckey

Sean Koerner's Tennessee-Colgate Projections

Sean Koerner's proprietary projections also power our Bracket Simulator, which helps you find the most optimal bracket for your pool size.

• Spread: Tennessee -18
• Total: 146
• Proj Score: Tennessee 82 | Colgate 64
• Win Probability: Tennessee 97.2% | Colgate 2.8%