UCLA Bruins vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 3/22/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025

Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Tennessee (-4)

The UCLA Bruins (23-10) are en route to Rupp Arena on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the Tennessee Volunteers (28-7) in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. UCLA opens this game as 4-point underdogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is set at 132.

The UCLA Bruins stepped onto the hardwood against Utah State and took home the win by a score of 72-47 in their last game. UCLA walked away from the game with a 48.1% FG percentage (26 of 54) and converted 10 of 24 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Bruins converted 10 of their 10 shots for a percentage of 100.0%. In regard to hauling in rebounds, they collected a total of 33 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 22 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In regard to defense, UCLA allowed the other team to shoot 30.0% from the field on 18 of 60 shooting. Utah State doled out 9 dimes and had 6 steals in this matchup. Moreover, Utah State collected 31 rebounds (15 offensive, 16 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Utah State shot 70.0% from the charity stripe by burying 7 of 10 shots. They also made 4 out of their 31 attempts from 3-point land. Concerning fouls, the Bruins ended up walking away with 11 and Utah State recorded 11 fouls.

Eric Dailey Jr. is a guy who was a contributor in this game. He ended up shooting 45.5% from the floor and also earned 1 assist. He saw the court for 23 mins and collected 4 rebounds. He totaled 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting.

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UCLA heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 23-10 this year. They have an average of 74.7 points per contest (151st in the country) while going 46.7% from the field. The Bruins are shooting 35.4% on 3-point shots (245 of 692) and 70.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, UCLA is snagging 32.8 boards per game and is sitting with 545 dimes on the season, which is 36th in the country in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.5 times per game and as a group are committing 17.2 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Bruins are forcing 15.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.5 fouls. They are conceding 32.3% on shots from downtown and they rank 22nd in D-1 in points per game allowed (65.2). The Bruins are allowing a FG percentage of 42.7% (732 of 1,716) and they surrender 31.3 boards per contest as a group. They are ranked 158th in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 422 relinquished for the campaign.

For their last game, the Tennessee Volunteers walked away with a victory by a final of 77-62 when they played Wofford. The Volunteers corralled 22 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards for a total of 31 in this game. They also turned the ball over 5 times, while recording 9 steals in the game. Wofford committed 20 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Volunteers to the free throw line for a total of 22 shots. They were able to bury 15 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 68.2%. In the matter of shots from beyond the arc, Tennessee buried 10 out of 28 attempts (35.7%). When this game wrapped up, the Volunteers shot 26 for 54 from the field which gave them a rate of 48.1%. The Volunteers allowed Wofford to convert 23 out of their 55 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 41.8% for the contest. They finished shooting 42.3% from 3-point land by going 11 of 26 and ended up shooting 5 of 9 from the charity stripe (55.6%). In regard to how they attacked the glass, Tennessee allowed Wofford to pull down 29 in total (10 on the offensive glass).

Chaz Lanier ended up having an impact for the Volunteers in this matchup. He buried 11 of 22 in the game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and had 5 rebounds. He accumulated 29 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist in this contest.

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Tennessee has a win-loss record of 28-7 this year. The Volunteers commit 15.5 personal fouls per game and they hit 74.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 15.5 times per game (61st in college) and they turn it over 10.3 times per game. Tennessee has accounted for 2,618 points on the season (74.8 per game) and they pull in 36.5 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Volunteers are connecting on 45.6% from the field, which is 125th in Division 1.

The Volunteers defensively are ranked 11th in college in PPG given up with 63.0. They have forced 11.7 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 38.3% from the field (4th in college hoops). The Tennessee defense surrenders 28.2% on 3-point shots (254 of 900) and opponents are knocking down 73.7% of their free throw shots. They have given up 10.2 dimes and 31.7 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 15th and 35th in those categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Tennessee (-4)

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