2022 NCAA Tournament Longwood vs. Tennessee line, picks: Advanced computer college basketball model releases selections for Thursday's first round matchup

The No. 14 Longwood Lancers take on the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers in a 2022 NCAA Tournament first round matchup at 2:45 p.m. ET on Thursday. Tennessee is favored by 18 points at Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over-Under is set at 133 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Longwood vs. Tennessee picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows Longwood has offensive firepower. The Lancers are No. 6 in the country in 3-point accuracy, making 38.6 percent of attempts. Longwood is also in the top 20 of the nation in offensive rebounding, securing 34.1 percent of missed shots, and the Lancers are in the top 50 nationally in free-throw creation rate. Longwood led the Big South in offensive efficiency, and the Lancers committed a live-ball turnover on only 8.2 percent of possessions in conference play.

The model also knows Tennessee is elite on defense. The Volunteers are No. 3 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, and Tennessee is in the top 15 of the nation in turnover creation rate at 22.9 percent. That includes the No. 8 mark in the country in steal rate at 13.4 percent, and opponents are shooting only 31.2 percent from 3-point range and 45.8 percent on 2-point attempts against Tennessee. The Volunteers also block more than 13 percent of shots, and Tennessee was No. 2 in the SEC in defensive rebound rate.

Now, it has set its sights on Longwood vs. Tennessee. We can tell you the model is leaning over the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Longwood vs. Tennessee? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Longwood vs. Tennessee spread you should be all over Thursday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!