Tennessee Volunteers vs Iowa State Cyclones Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/27/2026

Game Time: 10:10 pm ET, Friday, March 27, 2026

Venue:  United Center, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  TBS, truTV

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Tennessee +4.5, Iowa State -4.5; Over/Under:  138.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Tennessee +4.5, Iowa State -4.5; Over/Under:  138.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Tennessee +4.5, Iowa State -4.5; Over/Under:  138.5 points

Tennessee Volunteers:  24-11 (11-7) (5th place, SEC)

Iowa State Cyclones:  29-7 (12-6) (5th place, Big 12)

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Tennessee Volunteers:  3-2  last 5

Iowa State Cyclones:  4-1  last 5

Tennessee is entering this game with a 24-11 record overall, an 11-7 record in conference games, and they are 5-3 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Virginia Cavaliers in their last game. Ja'Kobi Gillespie led the team in points in that game with 21 while Nate Ament was next on the team with 16. Bishop Boswell led the team in assists with 9 in that game while Felix Okpara led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 47.3% from the field, 42.1% from 3-point range, and 76% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 79.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.1 PPG against them. Tennessee has an ATS record of 16-18-1 this season and their O/U record is 17-18.

Iowa State is entering this game with a 29-7 record overall, a 12-6 conference record, and they are 8-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Kentucky Wildcats in their last game. Tamin Lipsey led the team in points in that game with 26 while Milan Momcilovic was next on the team with 20. Tamin Lipsey led the team in assists with 10 in that game while Blake Buchanan led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 45.9% from the field, 32.1% from 3-point range, and 70.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 82.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 65.3 PPG against them. Iowa State has an ATS record of 22-13-1 this season and their O/U record is 16-20.

The current betting odds have Iowa State listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Iowa State has looked good in their games this season with their 29-7 record overall and their 12-6 conference record which had them in the top half of the Big 12. They have looked great in their neutral site games this season too with their 8-1 record in those. Meanwhile, Tennessee has looked good in their games this season with their 24-11 record overall and their 11-7 conference record which had them in the top half of the SEC. They are also 5-3 in their neutral site games this season which is good, but it isn't great. They looked a lot better in the last round, but they haven't been that great lately as they are 3-2 in their last 5 games. They didn't go very far in the SEC Tournament with an early exit and they were given a much easier draw in the 1st round of this tournament with Miami-OH. Now they are off a big win over a solid Virginia team in the last round, but the ACC as a whole has not performed well in this tournament this year. Tennessee was a solid team in the SEC this year too, but they weren't one of the best in the conference with some questionable losses, and this wasn't a great SEC this year either. Iowa State has some questionable losses themselves, but they also have some really impressive wins under their belt and did play in the stronger conference this year. They are off a double digit win over Kentucky in their last one too and they were perfect against the SEC this season. Iowa State has looked like one of the best teams in the nation at times this year and they are by far the best 2 seed left. Tennessee has had some deep runs in the tournament in recent years, but this team just isn't as good as years past and this will be the end of the line for them. The best way to place a bet here is on Iowa State to cover the spread in this game. 

Tennessee Iowa State Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, March 27, 2026 (10:10 pm ET start time) is Iowa State 79 Tennessee 71.

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Tennessee Volunteers: 2-5 ATS as a neutral court underdog of 6 points or less or pick. 8-13 ATS versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game. 16-10 UNDER in all neutral court games. 22-12 UNDER versus good passing teams, averaging 16 assists/game or more. 

Iowa State Cyclones: 18-8 ATS in all neutral court games. 34-17 ATS after a win by 15 points or more. 31-16 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 29-19 UNDER versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game. 33-22 UNDER versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game.

Tennessee Volunteers:  C. Phillips (F) Out - Shoulder.

Iowa State Cyclones:  J. Jefferson (F) Doubtful - Ankle. X. Mitchell (F) Out - Undisclosed. M. Williams (G) Out - Hip.

"Just really excited and proud of our guys. They worked hard, they had to, to play a team like Virginia. I got the most respect for Ryan Odom and what he's done in a short time there at Virginia, but really proud of our guys.” - Rick Barnes after his team’s win against UVA in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

“Nate Heise has been like a ‘6th starter’ all year long. Fierce competitor on defense, getting rebounds, making plays. You can feel him on every possession. Offensively, he stepped up and gave us exactly what we needed. We have tremendous belief and confidence in him.” - T.J. Otzelberger after his team’s win against Kentucky in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. 

N. Ament 

B. Boswell 

J. Estrella 

J. Gillespie 

F. Okpara

B. Buchanan 

J. Jefferson 

T. Lipsey 

M. Momcilovic 

K. Toure

PPG: Ja'Kobi Gillespie (18.4)

APG: Ja'Kobi Gillespie (5.6)

Reb/G: Nate Ament (6.4)

PPG: Milan Momcilovic (17.2)

APG: Tamin Lipsey (5.1)

Reb/G: Joshua Jefferson (7.4)

Coaches:

Tennessee Volunteers: Rick Barnes (11th season)

Iowa State Cyclones: T.J. Otzelberger (5th season)