Kentucky Wildcats vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 3/28/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kentucky Wildcats vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Friday, March 28, 2025

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Tennessee (-5)

Lucas Oil Stadium is the location where the Tennessee Volunteers (29-7) will compete against the Kentucky Wildcats (24-11) on Friday in the Sweet 16. Kentucky opens this contest as 5-point underdogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The total has been set at 146.

The Kentucky Wildcats stepped onto the hardwood against Illinois and notched a win by a score of 84-75 in their last contest. Kentucky ended the game having earned a 47.1% FG percentage (32 out of 68) and buried 8 out of their 21 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Wildcats made 12 of their 20 attempts for a rate of 60.0%. Regarding rebounding, they compiled a total of 34 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 18 assists for the game while forcing 14 turnovers and earning 14 steals. In relation to the defense, Kentucky allowed 43.5% from the floor on 27 out of 62 shooting. Illinois earned 12 dimes and had 3 steals in the matchup. In addition, Illinois snagged 40 rebounds (11 offensive, 29 defensive), but didn't have a block. Illinois finished the game at 63.2% from the free throw line by knocking down 12 of 19 attempts. They also buried 9 out of their 32 shots from beyond the perimeter. When talking about personal fouls, the Wildcats finished with 18 and Illinois recorded 20 personal fouls.

Koby Brea is a guy who played a role for the contest. He ended up finishing with 23 points on 10 out of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 36 minutes played and also grabbed 6 rebounds. He shot 62.5% from the field and also recorded 1 assist.

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Kentucky will enter this contest with a win-loss mark of 24-11 so far this season. They are turning it over 10.9 times per contest and as a squad are committing 17.2 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Kentucky is pulling down 38.4 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 597 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 9th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Wildcats are connecting on 37.4% on shots from downtown (335 of 895) and 73.2% from the free throw line. They have an average of 85.0 points per game (6th in the country) while hitting 48.1% from the floor.

On defense, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 10.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.8 fouls. They rank 228th in college in giving up assists with 448 conceded for the year. The Wildcats defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 43.5% (961 of 2,211) and they concede 35.3 boards per contest as a team. They relinquish 30.6% on 3-point shots while they are 315th in college hoops in points per game from their opponents (77.2).

In their last game, the Tennessee Volunteers walked away with a victory by a final of 67-58 against UCLA. The Volunteers recorded 21 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 30 in this matchup. They turned it over 15 times, while getting 7 steals for the matchup. UCLA committed 19 fouls in the matchup which got the Volunteers to the free throw line for a total of 16 attempts. They were able to bury 14 of the free throw tries for a clip of 87.5%. When talking about three-point shots, Tennessee buried 11 of 22 tries (50.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Volunteers went 21 out of 49 from the field which gave them a percentage of 42.9%. The Volunteers allowed UCLA to convert 19 out of 53 tries from the floor which had them shooting 35.8% for the contest. They finished 30.4% from beyond the arc by shooting 7 of 23 and ended up shooting 11 of 14 at the charity stripe (78.6%). In the matter of rebounding, Tennessee allowed UCLA to get 23 overall (8 on the offensive glass).

Chaz Lanier ended up being a major contributor for the Volunteers in the matchup. He buried 6 of 14 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 42.9%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He scored 20 points in his 35 minutes on the court and had 2 assists in the game.

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Tennessee has a win-loss mark of 29-7 this year. In terms of offensive execution, the Volunteers are shooting 45.5% from the field, which ranks 129th in college hoops. Tennessee has tallied 2,685 points on the year (74.6 per game) and they average 36.5 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.5 times per contest (61st in college) and they turn the ball over 10.6 times per game. The Volunteers commit 15.4 fouls every game and they go 74.4% from the free throw line.

The Tennessee defense concedes 28.3% on shots from beyond the arc (261 of 923) and their opposition knocks down 73.9% of their free throw shots. They concede 10.2 assists and 31.6 boards per contest, which is ranked 14th and 31st in college hoops. The Volunteers on the defensive side of the court are 8th in college in points per game surrendered with 62.9. They are forcing 11.6 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 38.2% from the field (1st in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Tennessee (-5)

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