All the details.
The NCAA Tournament has arrived, and the Tennessee Volunteers are set to begin their journey on Thursday night. Tennessee earned a No. 2 seed in the 68-team field, drawing No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s to open.
The winner will move on to face (7) Texas or (10) Colorado State on Saturday.
Tennessee, the regular season SEC champion, was paired with No. 1 seed Purdue in the Midwest region. Those two are joined by (3) Creighton, (4) Kansas and (5) Gonzaga in the region.
Tennessee is favored by 21.5 point in their first round matchup with Saint Peter’s, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
First team All-American and SEC player of the year Dalton Knecht will look to lead Tennessee deep into the tournament, which is something they’ve failed to do under Rick Barnes. Despite loaded rosters, Tennessee has always seemed to come up short in March. However, Knecht’s elite scoring could change things for the Volunteers, with Knecht coming off a conference season that saw him average 25 points per game.
On Thursday, Saint Peter’s will counter with 6-6 sophomore Corey Washington, who averages 16.5 points per game and six rebounds per game. The Peacocks rank 187th overall in KenPom’s efficiency ratings, and sit 19-13 overall on the year. Tennessee ranks 7th overall in that same metric.
Saint Peter’s will be looking to rekindle that magic from their 2022 run, which saw them take down Purdue and Kentucky on their way to an Elite Eight appearance. Tennessee will be looking to bounce back from an ugly SEC Tournament showing, where Mississippi State sent them packing in the quarterfinals.
Can Rick Barnes get this group back on track with everything on the line?
How to watch Tennessee vs. Saint Peters in the NCAA Tournament
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Time: 9:20 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Streaming: March Madness Live, Paramount Plus
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See DraftKings.com/sportsbook for details.