Tennessee vs. Michigan odds, prediction: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven expert on 44-28 run

The sixth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers look to reach the Final Four for the first time in school history when they battle the Big Ten regular-season champion and top-seeded Michigan Wolverines in an NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Elite Eight matchup on Sunday. Tennessee brushed aside second-seeded Iowa State 76-62 in a Sweet 16 matchup on Friday, while Michigan overpowered fourth-seeded Alabama 90-77. The Volunteers (25-11), who tied for fourth in the Southeastern Conference at 11-7, have won three in a row and are 6-5 against ranked opponents. The Wolverines (34-3), who won the Big Ten Conference regular-season title at 19-1, have won three straight and are 10-2 against ranked foes.

The game from United Center in Chicago tips off at 2:15 p.m. ET. Michigan leads the all-time series 7-5, including the last meeting, a 76-68 win in the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2022. Michigan is a 7.5-point favorite in the latest Tennessee vs. Michigan odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 146.5. 

Before making any Tennessee vs. Michigan picks, check out what SportsLine college basketball expert Bob Konarski has to say.

Konarski specializes in college basketball, displaying in-depth knowledge of hundreds of Division I teams. He is a regular presence in the SportsLine Discord, co-hosts a weekly Twitter Spaces with fellow CBB expert Tom Casale and can be seen on the "Early Edge" breaking down his college hoops plays. He enters the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 on a 44-28 run on college basketball picks, returning $1,308 for $100 players. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now Konarski has broken down Tennessee vs. Michigan from every angle and locked in his picks. He's leaning Over on the total, and he's also found a critical X-factor that has him jumping on one side the spread! 

So who covers in Tennessee vs. Michigan, and what critical X-factor do you need to know about? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the expert on a sizzling 44-28 run on CBB picks!