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The No.15 Kentucky Wildcats host the No.5 Tennessee Volunteers at the Rupp Arena on Tuesday. The Vols are looking to extend a three-match winning streak against a Kentucky team that has suffered back-to-back defeats in recent days. We tell you who the winners will be in our latest NCAAB betting picks.
- What: 2024/25 Men’s College Basketball
- Who: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers
- Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
- When: Tuesday, February 11th, 2025
- Tip-Off: 7 pm. ET
Kentucky is 16-7 overall and 5-5 in the SEC this season. The Wildcats have struggled recently, but they did snap a two-match losing streak with a 23-point win over South Carolina on Saturday.
Tennessee is 20-4 overall and 7-4 in the SEC. The Vols come into the match off the back of an 18-point win over Oklahoma on Saturday.
Tuesday’s meeting will be the second time the two teams have met in SEC play. Kentucky won the first clash 78-73 at the Thompson-Boling Arena at the end of January. The win was all the more impressive because the Wildcats were without Lamont Butler.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers Betting
The match betting between these two fierce rivals is very tight.
Tennessee is just edging it, with the Volunteers slated at -120 on the money line and the Wildcats at +120.
Kentucky is -110 to win with just a 1-point start on the handicap line. Tennessee is -110 to win and cover the single-point spread.
The total line is set at 147.5. Over and under are both -110.
You can check out more Kentucky vs. Tennessee NCAAB betting lines on our college basketball betting table. Our NCAAB odds are from the best college basketball betting sites.
| Kentucky vs. Tennessee |  |  |  |
| Kentucky | +100 | +100 | +100 |
| Tennessee | -120 | -120 | -120 |
| Kentucky (+1) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Tennesee (-1) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 147.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 147.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats have struggled with injuries and a loss of form in recent weeks. In their last ten games, Mark Pope’s team was 5-5, averaging 83.8 points per game and conceding 83.4 points.
It gets even more disappointing. Out of their last six games, Kentucky has lost four. The losing streak began with a 102-97 defeat at home to Alabama, followed by a close five-point loss to Vanderbilt (74-69) just days later.
In the reverse fixture, the Wildcats defeated Tennessee 78-73 at the Thompson-Boling Arena. However, Mark Pope’s team again suffered back-to-back defeats, losing by ten points at home to Arkansas (89-79) and then 98-84 away to Ole Miss.
The Wildcats stopped the rot with an 80-57 win over South Carolina at the weekend.
Needed it. Got it. pic.twitter.com/W3mK8zq1x7
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 8, 2025
Kentucky’s latest poor showing has seen it drop another place in the AP Top-25 rankings, to No.15.
The two lots of back-to-back defeats have left the Wildcats with a 5-5 record in the SEC, and they are now out of the race to win the regular-season championship.
The bookmakers still believe Kentucky can make their mark in the postseason. The Wildcats are +800 to make the Final Four and +3500 to win the NCAA Championship.
After they face the Volunteers, Kentucky will travel to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.
Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers also haven’t had things all their own way in recent weeks. In their last ten, Rick Barnes’ team are 6-4, averaging 67.7 points, and giving up 63.9 points per game.
The Vols have improved in recent days. Their last defeat was at home to the Wildcats on Tuesday, January 28th. Since that defeat, the Volunteers have won three in a row.
Tennessee started with a stunning 22-point home win over the Florida Gators (66-44). That was backed up by a four-point win over Missouri (85-81) and ended with an 18-point win over Oklahoma.
have a great Saturday vol nation pic.twitter.com/fvySLzgTcr
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 8, 2025
Despite their two wins last week, the Volunteers have dropped one place from No.4 to No.5 in the latest AP-Top 25 poll. The Volunteers are also now massive outsiders in the betting to win the SEC regular season, having drifted out to +20000.
The bookmakers haven’t written them off in the postseason betting. The Vols are the +450 joint-fourth favorite to reach the Final Four and +1500 to win the 2025 NCAA Championship.
Following their visit to Kentucky, the Vols will host Vanderbilt at the Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee Betting Picks
After winning the first clash at the Thompson-Boling Arena, the Kentucky Wildcats have a great opportunity to score an unlikely double over their fierce rivals.
Kentucky has a home record of 12-2, the Vols are 4-3 on the road.
The problem we have with backing the Wildcats is they have been too off-form recently. They did raise their game for their win in the reverse fixture, but they can’t keep relying on one-off performances to carry them through the remainder of the season.
Taking emotion out of the thought process, the form points to Tennessee avenging their January loss.
There is little difference between the spread and the money line. So we are going with the better odds and backing Tennessee to win on the spread.
See below our list of the best offshore sportsbooks for US bettors in 2025 and choose the one that suits you best:
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