The Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament is underway. After a fun Thursday night of men’s college basketball action, let’s do it again with four more matchups on Friday. It’s time to dive into one of those Sweet 16 games with our Kentucky vs. Tennessee predictions below. 

No. 2 seed Tennessee takes on No. 3 seed Kentucky in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament Midwest region bracket tonight. Let’s break down the top stats, players, storylines, and betting odds to know before the game gets underway on Friday. Check out our Kentucky vs. Tennessee picks. 

 

 

 

Kentucky vs. Tennessee Predictions for March Madness Sweet 16, 3/28

Friday’s March Madness Sweet 16 game between Kentucky and Tennessee sets up to be an entertaining and tight matchup. These SEC rivals will face each other for the third time this season. 

Kentucky swept the two regular-season meetings with Tennessee and will try to win once more with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line. The No. 3 seed Wildcats and the No. 2 seed Volunteers both have national title hopes as well. Conference foes facing off this late into March Madness adds even more intrigue. 

Let’s now get into the top Kentucky vs. Tennessee predictions for tonight’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 showdown. 

 

 

 

Kentucky Wildcats: Thriving In Underdog Role

Kentucky entered its Round of 32 game as the underdog against Illinois, despite being the better-seeded team. Well, the sportsbooks had that wrong as the No. 3 seed Wildcats took care of the No. 6 seed Illini with a nine-point victory. Kentucky also beat No. 14 seed Troy by 19 points in the first round. 

Kentucky’s “upset” over Illinois last game continues a trend where it’s excelled as an underdog this year. The Wildcats are now 8-4 against the spread as underdogs with seven outright wins. Two of those victories also came against Tennessee in the regular season. 

Mark Pope has his team in the Sweet 16 in his first season as Kentucky’s head coach. The ‘Cats are doing it with a high-scoring, fast-paced offense that ranks 11th in offensive efficiency and 26th in tempo while averaging 85.0 PPG (6th). They’ve also made it this far despite a season-ending injury to top scorer Jaxson Robinson. 

 

 

 

Tennessee Volunteers: Revenge In SEC Showdown?

The big storyline for this Sweet 16 game is that it will be the third time Tennessee and Kentucky play each other this year. Not only that, but the Wildcats swept the two regular-season matchups. Can the Volunteers get revenge on their conference foes? 

Tennessee easily got past No. 15 seed Wofford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It then handled No. 7 seed UCLA in the Round of 32 with a 67-58 victory. This is now the third straight Sweet 16 appearance for the Vols, who made it to the Elite Eight a year ago. 

It all starts on defense for the Volunteers. They rank third nationally in defensive efficiency at KenPom while holding opponents to the lowest shooting percentage in the sport (38.2%). Rick Barnes’ squad also boasts the third-best three-point defense in the country (28.3%). Tennessee isn’t too shabby on offense, either, ranking 17th in offensive efficiency.

 

 

 

How To Watch The Sweet 16 of March Madness 2025

Friday’s March Madness Sweet 16 game between Kentucky and Tennessee is scheduled to tip off at 7:39 pm ET. You can watch it on TBS or stream it on the March Madness Live app. 

The Kentucky vs. Tennessee matchup is one of four NCAA Tournament games on Thursday. Here’s the upcoming schedule with TV listings for tonight’s Sweet 16 action: 

  • 7:09 pm ET – No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 2 Michigan State – CBS
  • 7:39 pm ET – No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Tennessee – TBS
  • 9:39 pm ET – No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 1 Auburn – CBS
  • 10:09 pm ET – No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 1 Houston – TBS

Let’s now dive into Kentucky vs. Tennessee picks, odds, and predictions.

 

 

 

Kentucky vs. Tennessee Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

Before we get to our Kentucky vs. Tennessee predictions, check out the betting lines on FanDuel Sportsbook. As of this writing, here are the Kentucky vs. Tennessee odds for tonight’s Sweet 16 March Madness showdown: 

  • Kentucky Wildcats (+158) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (-192)
    • Spread: Kentucky +4.5 (-110) vs. Tennessee -4.5 (-110)
    • Game Total: Over 144.5 (-110) vs. Under 144.5 (-110)

 

 

 

Kentucky vs. Tennessee Spread Pick: Volunteers -4.5 (-110 on FanDuel)

The theory of whether or not you can beat the same team three times in a season will be put to the ultimate test here. As noted above, Kentucky won both regular-season meetings vs. Tennessee. In both instances, Kentucky was the underdog and won outright. Yet, Tennessee is still favored for this rematch. 

As tempting as it may be to take the Wildcats to cover the spread or win outright, we’re going the other way. Let’s back Tennessee to cover as 4.5-point favorites (-110 on FanDuel) for our Kentucky vs. Tennessee predictions. 

Going back to those previous two Kentucky vs. Tennessee games, they require some context. The Wildcats shot a blazing 24-for-48 (50%) from three-point range combined across both wins. Meanwhile, the Vols went just 14-for-63 (22.2%) from beyond the arc. That perimeter shooting discrepancy clearly tilted the scales in UK’s favor. 

Expect Tennessee to come in with a better game plan for this rematch and benefit from negative regression on Kentucky’s three-point shooting. The Vols have an elite perimeter defense, holding opponents to 28.3% shooting from three this year (3rd in Division I). UK is a strong three-point scoring team (37.4%), but it likely won’t be as hot in this third matchup. 

Meanwhile, Kentucky’s defense is a concern. Besides the first-round win vs. Troy, the ‘Cats are giving up 84.6 PPG over their last eight games. Defensively, they especially struggle to force turnovers (337th in D-I) and limit scoring inside (287th). Tennessee should attack the paint more, control the pace, and not rely on perimeter scoring as much on offense. 

For our Kentucky vs. Tennessee predictions, go with the Volunteers -4.5 (-110 on FanDuel) as the best bet. There’s a reason the Vols are favored in this third meeting despite losing the first two. They’re the better, more complete team and will prove it tonight. 

 

 

 

Kentucky vs. Tennessee Injury Report & Starting Lineups

Kentucky Wildcats Injury Report

  • Jaxson Robinson (G) – Out
  • Kerr Kriisa (G) – Out 

Kentucky Wildcats Expected Starters

  • Otega Oweh (G) – 16.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG
  • Koby Brea (G) – 11.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG
  • Lamont Butler (G) – 11.1 PPG, 4.3 APG
  • Amari Williams (F) – 10.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG
  • Andrew Carr (F) – 10.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG

Tennessee Volunteers Injury Report

  • JP Estrella (F) – Out

Tennessee Volunteers Expected Starters

  • Chaz Lanier (G) – 18.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG
  • Zakai Zeigler (G) – 13.7 PPG, 7.4 APG
  • Igor Milicic (F) – 9.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG
  • Felix Okpara (F) – 7.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG
  • Jahmai Mashack (G) – 6.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG

 

 

 

How To Bet On Kentucky vs. Tennessee at FanDuel Sportsbook & Claim Your $200 Bonus

Check out this awesome promotion from FanDuel Sportsbook after reading our Kentucky vs. Tennessee picks. Just click this link to get started. You don’t even need a FanDuel promo code to get in on the action. 

To qualify, all you need to do is make your first bet of at least $5 after depositing a minimum of $5. If your bet wins, you’ll score $200 in bonus bets! You can take advantage of this offer no matter what sporting event you choose to bet on.

By signing up through this link and grabbing the amazing FanDuel Sportsbook promo, you’ll unlock a variety of betting options. That includes our Kentucky vs. Tennessee predictions for today’s March Madness Sweet 16 matchup.