Texas vs. Tennessee: Opening betting odds for Round of 32

For the third year in a row in March Madness, Texas basketball has advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Seven-seed Texas and head coach Rodney Terry topped head coach Niko Medved and the 10-seed Colorado State Rams in the Round of 64 Midwest Region matchup on March 21, 56-44.

Texas passed its first test of March Madness in a sloppy offensive showing for both the Longhorns and Rams. But the journey won't get any easier from here on out for Texas.

Awaiting Terry and the Longhorns is a meeting with former Texas head coach Rick Barnes and the two-seed Tennessee Volunteers in the Round of 32.

Tennessee advanced to the Round of 32 after dismantling the 15-seed Saint Peter's in the Round of 64 on March 21, by a score of 83-49. The Vols had one of the most lopsided first round victories on the first full day of action in the NCAA Tournament.

This is the first time that Barnes will face his former team in the postseason.

Here are the opening betting odds for the Round of 32 matchup between 7-seed Texas and 2-seed Tennessee in the Midwest Region at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC, on March 23 at 7 p.m. CT.

Opening betting odds for Texas basketball vs. Tennessee in March Madness

Texas opened as a 5.5-point underdog against Tennessee in the Round of 32 matchup in the Midwest Region on March 23 (per FanDuel). The moneyline favors Tennessee (-250) over Texas (+202).

The over/under is 148.5 points.

According to KenPom, Texas has a 32 percent chance of beating Tennessee in the Round of 32 and projects the Vols to beat the Longhorns 75-70.

Texas and Tennessee both covered the spread in their respective first round matchups in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee was a 21.5-point favorite pre-game against Saint Peter's. And Texas was a 2.5-point favorite before tip-off against Colorado State.

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