The Midwest Region’s sixth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers are on the way back to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season, taking out a talented Iowa State bunch that was short-handed without star forward Joshua Jefferson.
The Vols have a date with top-seeded Michigan on Sunday afternoon, with the Wolverines entering this contest as a 7.5-point favorite to advance to their first Final Four since 2018.
With the stage set, here's my college basketball parlay and Michigan vs Tennessee picks for Sunday, March 29.
College Basketball Parlay for Michigan vs Tennessee
- Michigan 1H -3.5
- Elliot Cadeau Over 20.5 Points +Rebounds+Assists
Parlay Odds: +220 (bet365)
Remember, parlays are long shots for a reason, so please bet responsibly.
Michigan vs Tennessee Parlay Picks
Michigan 1H -3.5
Michigan began its campaign on an incredible run, defeating the likes of Gonzaga, Auburn and Villanova by an average margin of victory exceeding 30 points.
It's largely been smooth sailing for the Wolverines from that point on, winning all of its regular season contests but two, falling to Wisconsin in Ann Arbor, followed by a close loss to Duke on a neutral floor.
The Wolverines went on to lose to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament for its third loss of the season, raising some concern that Dusty May’s bunch was having some issues ahead of the Big Dance. That was especially the case with one of its premier defenders — L.J. Cason — being out for the rest of the season.
Michigan has done a stellar job proving the naysayers wrong over the course of the NCAA Tournament, facing very minimal stress on its road to this point.
The Wolverines have thrived in the first half this season, covering their first-half number an impressive 23 times over their 37 games.
Michigan also got off to a sluggish start in the first half of its Sweet 16 contest versus Alabama, finding itself down nine points very early in the game and entered the locker room down one point.
Though Rick Barnes’ Vols had a ton of success out-matching the Cyclones' interior defense minus one of its three best players, both Nate Ament and Felix Okpara will have a far tougher challenge on Sunday afternoon. They'll be matched with the likes of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr and Aday Mara.
Ament, who posted an impressive 18 points in the Vols' win over Iowa State in the Sweet 16, still looked rather hobbled after suffering a right high ankle sprain not long ago.
His health status is still in question, and the Volunteers will already have their hands full matched up with a Wolverines bunch that boasts the nation’s top defensive unit. Michigan is no slouch at the other end of the floor, ranking sixth nationally in offensive efficiency rating.
After their slow start versus Alabama, I love the Wolverines to cover its first-half spread in this spot, building upon their dominance in the first 20 minutes of games.
On DraftKings, I'll be backing the Wolverines to cover the 3.5 first-half spread with -120 juice, which I feel will be a great starting point for a same-game parlay.
Elliot Cadeau Over 20.5 Points+Rebounds+Assists
While I typically favor pairing my preferred side with an opposing team player prop to extract max-value in my SGP’s, I feel far better backing a Michigan player prop in a game I expect the Wolverines to dominate.
Elliot Cadeau has been spectacular thus far in the NCAA Tournament, posting 11 points and nine assists on average. The Wolverines’ floor general is also grabbing nearly four rebounds per contest in the tournament.
In a game I expect Tennessee to rely on its defensive frontcourt to make stops against an explosive Michigan offense, I suspect that May’s squad will need to lean a little more on its point guard on the offensive end of the floor.
Michigan’s senior leader Lendeborg is on an absolute tear, posting consecutive games with 23- and 25-point scoring efforts.
That said, I'm willing to bet that Barnes’ defensive game plan will be to throw the kitchen sink at Lendeborg at all costs. The Wolverines will surely require a big performance from their primary offensive facilitator, Cadeau.
I'll be backing Cadeau to exceed his PRA total for the second leg of our SGP. The former Tar Heel guard should have insane usage.
I wouldn't be surprised if he soared way over his market number.
