Cyclones Enter Sweet 16 as Chalk in the Opening Iowa State vs Tennessee Odds

• Despite an injury to Joshua Jefferson, #2 Iowa State rolled to the Sweet 16
• The Cyclones will face #6 Tennessee at the United Center in Chicago on Friday
• See the opening Iowa State vs Tennessee odds for the Sweet 16

The #2 Iowa State Cyclones (29-7 SU, 20-14 ATS) made a statement on Sunday, using a huge second half to blow out #7 Kentucky (82-63) despite the absence of Joshua Jefferson (16.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 4.8 APG), who sits second in the KenPom Player of the Year rankings.

Later in the day, the #6 Tennessee Volunteers (24-11 SU, 16-18-1 ATS) outlasted #3 Virginia (79-72) to set up a Sweet 16 tilt with the Cyclones on Friday, March 27th, in Chicago.

Even with Jefferson’s status for the Sweet 16 in question, the opening Iowa State/Tennessee odds give the Cyclones a sizable edge.

Iowa State vs Tennessee Odds & Lines

Iowa State has opened as a -156 favorite on the moneyline (trading at 61¢ to reach the Elite Eight. The Vols come back as +150 underdogs (trading at 40¢ to reach the Elite Eight).

Odds as of March 22nd at Kalshi. Find the best sports betting app for the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

At prediction site Kalshi, Iowa State is the eighth-favorite in the March Madness national champion odds, trading at 5¢ (equal to +1900 odds).

Tennessee will enter the Sweet 16 as one of the biggest longshots remaining, still trading around 1¢ (+9900 odds).

Senior guard Tamin Lipsey stepped up in Jefferson’s absence on Sunday, dropping 26 points and 10 dimes against Kentucky.

Tennessee got a team-high 19 points and six assists from senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie in the win over UVA, including six clutch free throws to ice it late.

Iowa State vs Tennessee Key Stats

The stats in the table above include all regular-season games, conference tournaments, and NCAA Tournament.

Bookmark SBD’s college basketball public betting splits to see where the sharp money is going on every March Madness game.