March Madness is upon us and bettors everywhere are out in force looking for Cinderella teams that will help boost their bankroll. There is always a lot of excitement and uncertainty in the tournament, but one thing that we can be sure of is that a team will come out of nowhere and make a totally unexpected run, despite what the March Madness odds might say. It’s trying to figure out who that team will be that is all part of the fun of wagering on the college basketball tournament.
One team hoping to make that unexpected deep run is the Wright State Raiders, a #14 ranked team who will be going against the $3 ranked Tennessee Volunteers in the opening round. It’s the first trip to the tournament for the team from the Horizon Conference since 2007 and they have been given a tough one to get this tournament started. Wright State is a team that you probably shouldn’t totally overlook, but the question that we have as bettors is whether they will be able to cover as a 12 point underdog against the Tennessee Volunteers.
They actually posted very similar numbers to Wright State in terms of points scored and surrendered, with defense definitely being their better stat this season. Tennessee went 18-13 ATS this season, which included being 13-11 as the favorite, which is not an entirely convincing stat for those of you looking to take them to cover.
Raiders vs. Volunteers March Madness Odds & Expert Prediction
Hearing our name called on Selection Sunday was the goal. The guys earned that payoff last night.#GBO #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/WjluuUe7UM
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) 12 de marzo de 2018
- When: Thursday, March 15 at 12:40 PM EST
- Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
- TV: truTV
- Radio: TuneIn
- Live Stream: MM Live
- March Madness Odds: Tennessee Volunteers -12 (Over/Under at 132 points)
Team Records
- All: Wright State Raiders 25-9 / Tennessee Volunteers 25-8
- Home: Wright State Raiders 17-2 / Tennessee Volunteers 15-3
- Away: Wright State Raiders 8-7 / Tennessee Volunteers 10-5
- ATS: Wright State Raiders 18-13-1 / Tennessee Volunteers 18-13
- Over/Under: Wright State Raiders 12-20 / Tennessee Volunteers 13-18
2018 NCAA Championship Favorites Worth Betting
Why consider the Raiders March Madness Odds?
There were probably very few people who saw the Raiders as a tournament team after they started the season by losing their opening 3 games. They turned things around rather quickly, though, going 25-9 on the year, which included winning the Horizon Conference tournament in convincing fashion with a 74-57 win over Cleveland State in the title game. That win was enough to get them in, but is it going to be enough to get them over the first hurdle in March Madness? The Raiders are not the most offensively gifted team in the world, but they do play good team defense, giving up just 65.7 PPG this season, which puts them in among the top 30 defensive teams in the country. The Wright State Raiders went 18-13-1 ATS this season, which included being 5-2 as an underdog. They should certainly not be written off.Team Statistics
Offense- Total Score: 72.15
- Field Goal Percentage: 43.59
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.16
- Free Throw Percentage: 71.71
- Total Rebounds: 36.32
- Total Score: 65.71
- Field Goal Percentage: 41.42
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.74
- Free Throw Percentage: 70.56
- Total Rebounds: 33.35
Why consider the Volunteers March Madness Odds?
The SEC was a real dog eat dog war this season, but the Tennessee Volunteers emerged from the pack to get a regular season share of the crown with the Auburn Tigers. They also made it all the way to the SEC Championship Game but ended up coming up just short against a Kentucky team that got their groove back at just the right time. The loss to Kentucky in that game snapped the 6-game winning streak that the Vols were on, so even with that defeat, this is a team that is coming into the tournament in a rich vein of form.
They actually posted very similar numbers to Wright State in terms of points scored and surrendered, with defense definitely being their better stat this season. Tennessee went 18-13 ATS this season, which included being 13-11 as the favorite, which is not an entirely convincing stat for those of you looking to take them to cover.
Team Statistics
Offense- Total Score: 74.21
- Field Goal Percentage: 43.91
- Three-Point Percentage: 38.37
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.61
- Total Rebounds: 36.15
- Total Score: 66.39
- Field Goal Percentage: 40.98
- Three-Point Percentage: 31.91
- Free Throw Percentage: 71.22
- Total Rebounds: 34.33
Latest NCAA Basketball Betting Trends
- Wright State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
- Wright State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
- Tennessee is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tennessee’s last 7 games
