March Madness Round 1: Peacocks vs Volunteers Spreads & Score
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The St. Peter’s Peacocks are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since knocking off the Kentucky Wildcats in 2022. The Peacocks needed an MAAC Championship to get into the NCAA Tournament. With three consecutive wins in the conference tournament, the Peacocks are back where they belong.
Two years ago, the Peacocks were a No. 15 seed in 2022 and made it all the way to the Elite Eight before falling to North Carolina. This was the most iconic run for a Cinderella team in March Madness history.
Now they’re positioned as a No. 15 seed again. This time, they’ll face the No. 2 seeded Tennessee Volunteers in the Midwest Region.
Should we consider another potential NCAA Tournament bracket-busting win from St. Peter’s this time around?
The oddsmakers have Tennessee at -21.5 (+100), with the total currently at 129.5. The Over is juiced to -115 on most books. Meanwhile, Tennessee opened at -19.5 (+100) and is now at 21.5 (+100). Meanwhile, the March Madness rankings also favor the Volunteers heavily.
Check out the St. Peter’s vs Tennessee spreads for this first-round matchup in the Midwest Region.
Peacocks vs Volunteers 
Day/Time:
Location: Spectrum Center
Streaming: TNT
St. Peter’s vs Tennessee Spreads & Trends
St. Peter’s was a cover machine this season. The Peacocks covered 20 of 31 NCAAB games this season after going 19-13 straight up. Meanwhile, the Peacocks hit the Under in one more game than the Over in the regular season.
On the other hand, Tennessee finished 24-8 straight up but only went 16-15-1 against the spread. The Vols were the opposite of St. Peter’s and hit the Over one more time than the Under this season.
You won’t find these teams on the college basketball scoreboard any other time. This is the first matchup between Tennessee and St. Peter’s ever.
Can St. Peter’s Repeat History?
St. Peter’s did the unthinkable two years ago.
The Peacocks stunned the Kentucky Wildcats as a No. 15 seed to make it into the Round of 32. But they didn’t stop there. St. Peter’s earned a Round of 32 victory and made it into the Sweet 16.
To reach the Elite Eight, the Peacocks earned a win over No. 3 seed Purdue. Most people thought the run would be over against the Boilermakers, but it only ended against North Carolina in the Elite Eight.
At that point, St. Peter’s ran out of gas, but the memories made will live on forever.
They’ll look for the sequel as a No. 15 this season.
Are The Volunteers Frauds?
The Tennessee Volunteers went 24-8 this season. They’re a top-eight team in America. However, the Vols have lost two consecutive games, including an SEC Tournament game to Mississippi State.
The Vols lost that game, 73-56, and were really never in the game. If the Volunteers had defeated Mississippi State and gone deep into the SEC Tournament, they could’ve been a one-seed.
Instead, Tennessee lost its first game in the SEC Tournament, leaving some to believe they’ll do the same in the NCAA Tournament.
It’s unlikely the Volunteers will lose as 21.5-point favorites. But it’s also unlikely that Tennessee will make it into the Final Four. After all, most college basketball teams that lose the first game of their conference tournament struggle to find long-term success in the NCAA Tournament.
That’ll be Tennessee’s problem.
Are the Volunteers fraudulent? No. Will they win the NCAA Tournament? Also no. They’ll finish somewhere in between the Sweet 16.
Tennessee Volunteers Men’s Basketball every March pic.twitter.com/ttWerPSuuw
— Josiah Ray (@Josiah_Ray) March 15, 2024
The Peacocks Have A Problem
The St. Peter’s Peacocks have a problem heading into their matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers.
The offense has struggled mightily this season. St. Peter’s has shot an effective field goal percentage of 45%, which is 349th in college basketball.
That’s ultimately due to their low rate from inside the arc, where they’ve shot 42.4%.
Meanwhile, Tennessee has one of the best defenses in the nation. The Vols have held teams to 44.3% from inside the arc and a 45.5% effective field goal percentage. This isn’t a good matchup for St. Peter’s.
The Peacocks earned 35.2% of offensive rebounds this year. While the rebounding worked in the MAAC, it likely won’t against Tennessee, which is an SEC school with more talent and length.
However, we still can’t sleep on St. Peter’s defense. The Peacocks held teams to 31.5% from deep and 46.4% from inside the arc. They’ll foul at a high rate and aren’t always great on the defensive glass. But opponents don’t always get the best looks against the Peacocks.
While Tennessee has a fast-paced offense, St. Peter’s loves to move slowly. As a massive underdog, the expectation is St. Peter’s will try to slow the game down and limit possessions to keep this game close.
With Tennessee and St. Peter’s playing better defense than offense this season, we’ll ride the Under 129.5 (-105) in this one.
If you really want a St. Peters vs Tennessee spreads pick, the Volunteers at -21.5 is still the way to go. After all, St. Peter’s won’t be able to hang around the Vols if the Peacocks can’t even score at an average rate inside the arc. The men’s NCAA basketball schedule became much more challenging for the Peacocks.
For NCAA basketball odds, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
