Tennessee Volunteers vs Iowa State Cyclones Prediction, 3/27/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tennessee Volunteers vs Iowa State Cyclones

Date: Friday, March 27, 2026

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Iowa State (-4)

The Iowa State Cyclones (28-7) are hosting the Tennessee Volunteers (23-11) at United Center on Friday in the Sweet 16. Tennessee is 4-point underdogs from oddsmakers. The betting total comes in at 138.

The Tennessee Volunteers took the court against Virginia and earned the victory with a final of 79-72 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Volunteers left the arena with 14 while Virginia totaled 19 personal fouls. They converted 12 out of their 35 shots from 3-point land. Virginia ended up going 54.5% when shooting free throws by making 6 of their 11 tries. Furthermore, Virginia pulled down 30 boards (11 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Virginia distributed 12 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. Concerning the defense, Tennessee allowed 39.1% from the field on 27 of 69 shooting. They also distributed 20 assists for the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and having 4 steals. When talking about pulling down rebounds, they compiled 30 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Volunteers made 19 of their 25 attempts for a percentage of 76.0%. Tennessee ended having earned a 47.3% field goal percentage (26 out of 55) and knocked down 8 out of their 19 shots from downtown.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie is a guy who was a contributor in this game. He scored 21 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes and also grabbed 3 boards. He finished the contest at 42.9% from the floor and also dished out 6 assists.

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Tennessee will play this game with a mark of 23-11 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 79.4 points per contest (92nd in D-1) while hitting 46.4% from the field. The Volunteers are hitting 33.8% on shots from beyond the arc (223 of 660) and 69.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, Tennessee is collecting 42.6 boards per contest and is sitting with 577 assists for the season, which is 28th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 11.8 times per game and as a team they commit 17.8 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Volunteers are able to force 11.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.8 personal fouls. They are ranked 18th in the nation in giving up assists with 360 surrendered for the season. The Volunteers defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 40.8% (794 of 1,948) and they concede 29.6 boards per contest as a squad. They give up 30.3% on 3-point attempts and they rank 55th in college in PPG allowed (69.0).

The last time they took the court, the Iowa State Cyclones walked away with a victory by a final of 82-63 when they faced Kentucky. In regard to how they rebounded, Iowa State permitted Kentucky to get 30 in all (5 offensive). They finished 36.0% from downtown via 9 out of 25 and finished the contest at 12 out of 17 from the free throw line (70.6%). The Cyclones allowed Kentucky to convert 21 of their 45 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 46.7% in this game. At the conclusion of this game, the Cyclones walked away from this one shooting 28 out of 61 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.9%. With regard to shots from distance, Iowa State knocked down 9 of 28 attempts (32.1%). They were able to knock down 17 of them for a rate of 70.8%. Kentucky had 18 fouls for the contest which took the Cyclones to the charity stripe for a total of 24 shots. They also gave up possession 7 times, while recording 12 steals for the matchup. The Cyclones were able to snag 17 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 26 in this contest.

Tamin Lipsey ended up being a major contributor for the Cyclones in the game. He totaled 26 points in his 37 mins of playing time and tallied 10 dimes in this contest. He converted 8 out of 15 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 53.3%, and accounted for 3 rebounds.

Iowa State has a record of 28-7 for the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Cyclones are connecting on 49.1% from the field, which is 18th in the nation. Iowa State has 2,889 pts for the season (82.5 per contest) and they average 35.8 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 17.4 times per game (19th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.3 times per contest. The Cyclones have committed 16.0 fouls per contest and they hit 67.6% from the free throw line.

The Iowa State defense allows 31.9% on shots from beyond the arc (261 of 818) and opponents are connecting on 71.4% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 12.8 dimes and 30.9 total rebounds per game, which ranks 125th and 24th in college. The Cyclones on the defensive side of the court are 13th in college in PPG allowed with 65.4. They are able to force 15.3 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.7% from the floor (91st in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Iowa State (-4)

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