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No. 8 Tennessee will host No.12 Kentucky at the Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday. The Volunteers will defend an 11-0 home record against their SEC rivals. We tell you who is going to come out on top in our latest NCAAB betting picks.
- What: 2024/25 Men’s College Basketball
- Who: Tennessee Volunteers vs. Kentucky Wildcats
- Where: Thompson–Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
- When: Tuesday, January 28th, 2025
- Tip-Off: 7 pm. ET
Tennessee has an overall record of 17-3 and is 4-3 in the SEC. The Vols will be buoyed by an impressive performance in their last outing where they came close to upsetting the No.1 Auburn.
The Kentucky Wildcats hold an overall record of 14-5 and are 3-3 in the SEC. The Wildcats will be seeking an instant return to winning ways after a disappointing 5-point defeat to Vanderbilt in their previous outing.
Tuesday’s showdown will be the first time the two schools have met in conference play this season.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting
With the home-court advantage, the Tennessee Volunteers are short-priced favorites at -410 on the money line. The Kentucky Wildcats are +320 to snap the Vols’ 11-0 home record.
Kentucky is -110 to win on the handicap with an 8.5-point start. To win and cover the spread, the Volunteers are -110.
The total line is set at 148. Over and under are both -110.
You can check out more Tennessee vs. Kentucky NCAAB betting lines on our college basketball betting table. Our NCAAB odds are from the best college basketball betting sites.
| Tennessee vs. Kentucky |  |  |  |
| Tennessee | -410 | -410 | -410 |
| Kentucky | +320 | +320 | +320 |
| Tennessee (-8.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Kentucky (+8.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 148 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 148 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers have a 7-3 record over their previous ten matches. The Vols have scored an average of 69.4 points per game and conceded an average of 58.8.
In their most recent outing, the Volunteers came close to beating the Auburn Tigers.
The No.1 Auburn was pushed all the way by Rick Barnes’ team. Although bitterly disappointed, Barnes recognized the good performance by stating “I should be positive. They fought hard all night long.”
NO. 1 AUBURN WINS A SLUGFEST AT HOME 😤
The Tigers come away with a dramatic late-game win over No. 6 Tennessee 🐅 pic.twitter.com/XEhtxiB2cC
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 26, 2025
And Barnes was spot on with his remarks. The performance of the Volunteers showed that they have it in them to go all the way this season. They will take plenty of confidence from the result for the rest of the campaign.
Not many teams push the Tigers so hard. The 53 points that the Volunteers limited the Tigers to is the least amount of points Auburn has scored this season. Their previous low was 66.
Despite Tennessee’s close defeat, they have still dropped two places from No.6 to No.8 in the latest AP rankings.
The Volunteers are +3300 fourth-favorites to win the SEC regular season. The favorites are the Auburn Tigers at -370. Alabama is +475, and Florida is +1600.
Tennessee is +400 to make the Final Four and +1800 to win the NCAA Championship.
After the match against the Wildcats, Tennessee will welcome the No.5 Florida Gators to the Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday.
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are 6-4 across their last ten matches. Kentucky has scored an average of 84.1 points per match and conceded 80.8 points.
The Wildcats faced the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday. Mark Pope’s team lost 74-69 to the Commodores in a disappointing showing at the Memorial Gym in Nashville.
Otega Oweh supplied 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and one steal in the 33 minutes he was on the court against the Commodores. It wasn’t enough to save the Wildcats from their fifth loss of the season.
VANDY SNAGS ANOTHER UPSET ⚓️
The Commodores take down No. 9 Kentucky in Nashville ‼️ pic.twitter.com/CAN8EJaxgM
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 25, 2025
The defeat was also Kentucky’s second in a row and their recent poor form has been reflected in the latest AP Top 25 rankings.
The previously unranked Vanderbilt are now No.24. It is the first time they have been ranked since December 2015. The Wildcats dropped three places from No.9 to No.12.
In the latest betting, the Wildcats are +4000 to win the SEC regular season. Kentucky is +550 to reach the Final Four and +2500 to win the 2025 NCAA Championship.
Following their road trip to Tennessee, the Wildcats will host Arkansas on Saturday night.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Picks
Tennessee is 11-0 at home and Kentucky is 1-3 on the road.
The Volunteers need to take heart from their close loss to the Tigers. Their defensive display was outstanding. And they showed the sort of fight required to mount a serious challenge for the NCAA Championship this season.
Repeating that performance on a more consistent basis is the next challenge. If they do, the Volunteers will be in with a real chance of success.
Tennessee is too short to back for the win on the money line at -410. We say they will beat the Wildcats and make it 12-0 at home, but will they cover the spread of 8.5 points?
Based on their defensive performance against the Tigers, we have to say yes. Tennessee to win and cover the spread is our betting pick.
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