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Wofford basketball is in the 2025 NCAA tournament and faces a formidable first round foe – No. 2-seed Tennessee.
The No. 15 Terriers (19-15) will play the No. 2 Volunteers (27-7) on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky.
After winning the Southern Conference tournament for the sixth time, the Terriers earned a No. 15 seed in the March Madness bracket.
The Terriers are led by senior guard Corey Tripp, who is averaging 14.3 points per game, and senior center Kyler Filewich, who averages 11.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Wofford has only won one game in the NCAA tournament, back in 2019 when the Terriers were the No. 7 seed and defeated No. 10 Seton Hall.
Buy Wofford NCAA Tournament tickets vs. Tennessee
It's no surprise that the Terriers are facing one of the best teams in the NCAA after drawing a No. 15 seed, but the Volunteers are a national title contender at the No. 2 seed.
Tennessee finished fourth in a stacked SEC field – the conference set a record with 14 teams being selected to the NCAA tournament. It also defeated overall No. 1 seed Auburn in the SEC tournament semifinals to earn a spot in the championship game, where it fell to another No. 1 seed in Florida.
The Volunteers are tournament-tested before the NCAA tournament even begins, making them a tough first round opponent, even compared to other No. 2 seeds.
The Volunteers are a No. 2 seed for the second straight season. Last year, Tennessee reached the Elite Eight for the second time in program history before falling to eventual national runner-up No. 1 Purdue. While a good chunk of coach Rick Barnes' lineup from a year ago is gone, the Volunteers return several pieces from that tournament run.
All-SEC first-team selection Zakai Zeigler was the second-leading scorer last season behind Dalton Knecht and has again been a massive piece to Tennessee's success in 2024-25. Zeigler is averaging 13.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, setting a program record for single-season assists.
Senior guard Jordan Gainey is again a strong piece off the bench for Tennessee and is third on the team with 11.4 points per game, while senior guard Jahmai Mashack has stepped into the starting lineup this year.
Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier has been the team's top scorer this season, averaging 17.7 points per game.
Lanier was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year after transferring from North Florida ahead of the season. Lanier was also named to the All-SEC second team.
Tennessee 85, Wofford 60: If you're looking for a Cinderella story from a low seed, it likely won't be the Terriers. Only 11 No. 15 seeds have ever won a tournament game, most recently in 2023 when Princeton beat Arizona. The Volunteers are simply too experienced and too talented for Wofford to become the 12th.
Evan Gerike is the sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @EvanGerike.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Wofford vs. Tennessee prediction, pick, odds March Madness first round
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The No. 15 Terriers (19-15) will play the No. 2 Volunteers (27-7) on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky.
After winning the Southern Conference tournament for the sixth time, the Terriers earned a No. 15 seed in the March Madness bracket.
The Terriers are led by senior guard Corey Tripp, who is averaging 14.3 points per game, and senior center Kyler Filewich, who averages 11.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Wofford has only won one game in the NCAA tournament, back in 2019 when the Terriers were the No. 7 seed and defeated No. 10 Seton Hall.
Buy Wofford NCAA Tournament tickets vs. Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers among best of the best
It's no surprise that the Terriers are facing one of the best teams in the NCAA after drawing a No. 15 seed, but the Volunteers are a national title contender at the No. 2 seed.
Tennessee finished fourth in a stacked SEC field – the conference set a record with 14 teams being selected to the NCAA tournament. It also defeated overall No. 1 seed Auburn in the SEC tournament semifinals to earn a spot in the championship game, where it fell to another No. 1 seed in Florida.
The Volunteers are tournament-tested before the NCAA tournament even begins, making them a tough first round opponent, even compared to other No. 2 seeds.
Tennessee has NCAA Tournament experience under coach Rick Barnes
The Volunteers are a No. 2 seed for the second straight season. Last year, Tennessee reached the Elite Eight for the second time in program history before falling to eventual national runner-up No. 1 Purdue. While a good chunk of coach Rick Barnes' lineup from a year ago is gone, the Volunteers return several pieces from that tournament run.
All-SEC first-team selection Zakai Zeigler was the second-leading scorer last season behind Dalton Knecht and has again been a massive piece to Tennessee's success in 2024-25. Zeigler is averaging 13.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, setting a program record for single-season assists.
Senior guard Jordan Gainey is again a strong piece off the bench for Tennessee and is third on the team with 11.4 points per game, while senior guard Jahmai Mashack has stepped into the starting lineup this year.
North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier leads Tennessee in scoring
Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier has been the team's top scorer this season, averaging 17.7 points per game.
Lanier was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year after transferring from North Florida ahead of the season. Lanier was also named to the All-SEC second team.
Wofford vs Tennessee prediction: March Madness first round
Tennessee 85, Wofford 60: If you're looking for a Cinderella story from a low seed, it likely won't be the Terriers. Only 11 No. 15 seeds have ever won a tournament game, most recently in 2023 when Princeton beat Arizona. The Volunteers are simply too experienced and too talented for Wofford to become the 12th.
Evan Gerike is the sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @EvanGerike.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Wofford vs. Tennessee prediction, pick, odds March Madness first round
Continue reading...
