Opening Odds: Tennessee a small underdog against Iowa State
Can Tennessee keep it rolling?
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 06: Ja'kobi Gillespie #0 of the Tennessee Volunteers dribbles the ball against Declan Duru Jr. #4 of the Texas Longhorns during the second half of the game at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 06, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) | Getty Images Tennessee is moving on to the Sweet 16 once again, taking down Virginia on Sunday in Philadelphia.
The Volunteers will be moving on to Chicago, where they’ll run into No. 2 seed Iowa State. The Cyclones beat Kentucky 82-63 to advance.
Iowa State finished the season 29-7, going 12-6 in Big 12 play. Their dominant win over Kentucky was done with out second-leading scorer Joshua Jefferson, who was hurt early on in the first round against Tennessee State. The 6-9 senior forward hopes to return for Friday’s matchup against the Volunteers, but it remains to be seen if his ankle injury will allow that to happen.
Speaking of ankle injuries, Nate Ament started looking more like himself on Sunday evening. Ament handled 29 minutes after sitting out much of the first round matchup against Miami-Ohio, scoring 16 points. Tennessee has opened as a small underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook .