(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

March Madness is in full swing and we've now gotten through the first round of games which was chock-full of excitement. In this article, I'll break down the marquee matchup between the Texas Longhorns (21-12) and the Tennessee Volunteers (25-8) as each team looks to advance to the Sweet 16 in the Midwest region.

Texas is coming off a hard-fought victory against the 10-seeded Colorado St. Rams who they beat 56-44 blowing past the -3 spread. After a 38-point first half where the Longhorns got out a 16-point, both teams came out with intensity in the second half combining for 62 points. Texas was able to hang onto the lead downing them by 12 points. It was the trio of Max Abmas, Dylan Diss, and Chendall Weaver that led the Longhorns to victory by combining for 35 points. Now, Texas is just one game away from securing their spot in the Sweet 16.

The Tennessee Volunteers smacked the 15-seeded Saint Peter's Peacocks 83-49 covering one of the biggest spreads of the first round which favored the Volunteers by 22 points. The Volunteers took their momentum from the regular season into the tournament and their dominance has transitioned over. They got out to a 26-point lead at halftime on the Peacocks and never let up for any second as they kept their foot on the gas from the start to the end. The Tennessee Volunteers will be looking to make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 and only the 10th time in the program's history when they come into this Saturday's matchup against the Texas Longhorns.

This will be the first time since January 28, 2023, that these two teams matched up against one another. In that game, Tennessee was able to defeat Texas by a score of 82-71 while covering the -5.5-point spread. This should be a classic battle between two highly skilled collegiate programs looking to advance themselves to the Sweet 16.

THE TEXAS LONGHORNS LOOK TO MAKE IT TO THEIR 9TH SWEET 16 APPEARANCE

The Texas Longhorns came into the tournament with a tough loss to Kansas State 74-78 in the Big 12 Tournament. However, they were able to put that loss in the rearview mirror when they ran past their first-round opponent Colorado State. It certainly wasn't the prettiest win by any stretch as the Longhorns struggled mightily from the field and failed to even put up 60 points against a team that has struggled defensively all season long giving up 68.1 points per game.

However, this could've been just one of those the Longhorns needed to get through for them to gain some momentum on their side. They are still a Longhorns team that averages 76.6 points per game while shooting 36.6% from 3-point range. It will be up to their leading scorer Max Abmas to kickstart this Longhorns offense in the early going against this Tennessee Volunteers defense.

The Longhorns have the chance to push the envelope in the round of 32 in this Saturday's matchup as they look to take their spot in the Sweet 16 of this year's tournament.

THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS OBTAINED THE NO. 2 SEED FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN THE PROGRAM'S HISTORY

The Tennessee Volunteers smoked the Saint Peter's Peacocks in the round of 64 winning by 34 points which sailed over the -22 point spread that was latched onto that matchup. They somehow struggled coming into the tournament losing back-to-back games and losing out on an SEC tournament title by taking a rough loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs 56-73 as a -9.5 favorite.

Even after those losses, they still came into the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest division. This is only the second time in the school's history that they've come in as the No. 2 seed. In that lone year back in 2019 they advanced to the Sweet 16 but ultimately lost to Purdue in a very close game in overtime. The Volunteers are hoping this is their time to get over that hump and make a run in this year's tournament and their chances of doing that get started in this Saturday's matchup against the Texas Longhorns.

The Volunteers are now sitting with the 5th fewest odds to win it all at +1200 given that the oddsmakers do believe that they are one of the premier teams in this year's March Madness tournament and they will look to prove them right in this marquee matchup.

MARCH MADNESS: TEXAS LONGHORNS VS. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS FANDUEL ODDS FOR MAR. 23

MONEY LINE

• TEXAS LONGHORNS: +220
• TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS: -275

SPREAD

• TEXAS LONGHORNS: +6.5 (-110)
• TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS: +6.5 (-110)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 145.5 (-115)
• UNDER 145.5 (-105)

BEST MARCH MADNESS ODDS FOR TEXAS LONGHORNS VS. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

• The Tennessee Volunteers are -6.5-point favorites against the Texas Longhorns. FanDuel currently has the best odds at (-110)
• The Texas Longhorns are the underdogs by 6.5 points to cover the spread. FanDuel currently has the best odds at (-110)
• FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 145.5 (-110) for the over, and (-110) for the under.

TEXAS LONGHORNS VS. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS INJURY REPORT

TEXAS LONGHORNS INJURY REPORT

• NONE

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS INJURY REPORT

• NONE

SPREAD: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS -6.5

Tennessee Volunteers did what was expected of them by rolling past the No. 15-seeded Saint Peter's Peacocks but now they get to take on much stiffer competition when they head into Charlotte to take on the No. 7-seeded Texas Longhorns.

The Longhorns came up with a big win coming away with a double-digit victory over the Colorado St. Rams but they failed to put up much offense in that game which could be a massive detriment against a defensive juggernaut like the Volunteers. Tennesee is 3rd in the nation in FG% allowed per game (38.6%) and 21st in FGM per game (22.5). In that game against Colorado St., Tennessee shot a measly 40% from the floor and they were just 1-14 from 3-point range.

That kind of offense will not be enough to keep up with Tennesee especially if their top scorer Dalton Knecht gets going as he did against the Peacocks. In their round of 64 games, Knecht led the team with 23 points, 4-8 from 3-point range, to go along with eight rebounds. As long as the Volunteers can keep their foot on the glass and take care of the glass as they normally do, they should come away victorious and make just their second Sweet 16 appearance in the program's history all while covering the spread in this marquee Saturday matchup.