The matchup is set.
Against the odds and without their star point guard, Tennessee is headed to the Sweet 16. The Volunteers took care of Duke on Saturday, getting a 27 point effort from Olivier Nkamhoua.
Now they’re set for a trip to New York City to take on Florida Atlantic. Tennessee caught a big break on Friday with Purdue going down to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson. FDU then lost to FAU on Sunday night, setting up the Owl and Volunteers to play on Thursday night.
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Tennessee has opened as a five point favorite in the matchup.
FAU went 33-3 this season, winning the Conference USA title. They were able to squeak by Memphis on Friday night before taking care of Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday, 78-70.
FAU’s three losses on the year came at Ole Miss (80-67), at UAB (86-77) and at MTSU (74-70). They are KenPom’s 22nd ranked team, sporting the 30th ranked offense and the 36th ranked defense. Tennessee is currently sixth in the metric.
The winner will get a ticket to the Elite Eight, where they’ll face the winner of Michigan State–Kansas State.
Inconsistency has plagued Tennessee all season long, but they showed up when it mattered the most on Saturday afternoon. Now, you can’t ask for a better path forward to the Elite Eight, and potentially a Final Four.
Tip-off between Tennessee and FAU is set for Thursday night at approximately 9 p.m. ET. The Volunteers will be looking for their second even Elite Eight appearance. It would be their first since 2010.
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See DraftKings.com/sportsbook for details.