Creighton vs Tennessee, Sweet 16, Preview & Best Bets: Fade Rick Barnes in March

The Midwest Regional Semifinal featuring the Creighton Blue Jays and the Tennessee Volunteers tips off Friday night!

Creighton took down Akron and then battled it out with the Oregon Ducks in overtime to advance to this Sweet 16 matchup.

Tennessee beat St. Peter's and then barely squeaked by the Texas Longhorns in the Round of 32.

Can Rick Barnes and company get the job done? Or will the Blue Jays get back to the Elite Eight for the 2nd straight year?

Let's take a look at our best bets for this matchup!

#3 Creighton vs #2 Tennessee Game Information

Matchup Information – #3 Creighton vs #2 Tennessee

• Venue & Location: Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, MI)
• Date: Friday, March 29th, 2024
• Tip Off: 9:09pm Eastern
• Broadcast: CBS

Betting Odds

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Spread

• Creighton +3 (-107)
• Tennessee -3 (-113)

Moneyline

• Creighton +135
• Tennessee -155

Total

• Over 144 (-110)
• Under 144 (-110)

Can Creighton Take Down Vols?

This will be a hell of a matchup for the Volunteers. I'll admit, Creighton is not the deepest team in the nation, but they have four guys on the floor at all times that can put the ball in the hoop in a multitude of ways.

For starters, 7 footer Ryan Kalkbrenner could be a problem. Jonas Aidoo will be tasked with guarding the big guy, but if he gets into early foul trouble, the duty will get passed on to either a couple of freshman, or 6'6″ Dalton Knecht.

Knecht will probably be stuck guarding Baylor Scheierman, and Vescovi will be on Trey Alexander, leaving the 5'9″ Ziegler to guard Steven Ashworth. Now, to be honest, the Volunteers aren't that deep either, and ultimately I think the Blue Jays stay incredibly hot tonight.

The Volunteers rank 309th in 3P Rate Defensively, so they give up threes on almost 42% of possessions. Creighton as we know, is a team that loves the deep ball and will certainly let it fly.

If you give Scheierman, Alexander and Ashworth enough chances, they will certainly begin to knock some down.

I think the Blue Jays absolutely roll tonight.

The Pick: Creighton ML (+135) BetOnline

All year long, there have been games where this Blue Jays team looks like the National Champion, but there's also been games where they look like a bubble team. The Blue Jays rely heavily on the deep ball, but when it's hitting, they are tough to stop.

We're also fading Rick Barnes in March, which has been a good strategy so far. In his career, Rick Barnes has 1 Final Four, and 2 Elite Eights, despite 28 NCAA Tournament appearances.

I think Creighton is hungry after losing in the Elite Eight last year, and very eager to get back to a Regional Final.

I've had the Blue Jays in my Final Four from the get-go, so there's no turning back now.

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