Tennessee vs. Houston Predictions, Picks & Odds: March Madness Elite 8
The Elite 8 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament continues on Sunday with two more matchups. After some entertaining men’s college basketball action last night, this afternoon brings along two Elite 8 games projected to be tight. It’s time to dive into one of Sunday’s showdowns with our Tennessee vs. Houston predictions below.
No. 1 seed Houston takes on No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament Midwest region bracket today. Let’s break down the top stats, players, storylines, and betting odds to know before the game gets underway. Check out our Tennessee vs. Houston picks.
Tennessee vs. Houston Predictions for March Madness Elite 8, 3/30
Sunday’s March Madness Elite 8 game between Tennessee and Houston sets up to be a low-scoring and intense matchup. The top two seeds in the Midwest region of the NCAA Tournament are two of the best teams remaining in the field. Both have been in this spot before as well.
Let’s now get into the top Tennessee vs. Houston predictions for today’s NCAA Tournament Elite 8 showdown.
Tennessee Volunteers: Sweet 16 Revenge Over Kentucky
Tennessee’s Sweet 16 matchup against SEC rival Kentucky was widely viewed as a toss-up game. Well, the Volunteers took care of business and silenced the doubters. They led by double digits for the majority of the game en route to a convincing 78-65 victory.
The win also gave Tennessee sweet revenge on its conference foes. Kentucky had swept the two regular-season matchups against the Vols this year. They’ve now won all three NCAA Tournament games by at least nine points. Zakai Zeigler (18 points) and Chaz Lanier (17 points) powered the Volunteers’ victory on Friday.
This is the second straight Elite 8 appearance for Tennessee. Last year, the Vols lost in this round to No. 1 seed Purdue, 72-66, as a No. 2 seed themselves. It’s also the fourth time head coach Rick Barnes has led a team to the Elite 8 in his career.
Houston Cougars: Narrow Win Over Purdue In Sweet 16
On Friday night, Houston held a 10-point lead over No. 4 seed Purdue with seven minutes to go in the second half in its Sweet 16 matchup. Then the Boilermakers fought back to tie it up with 30 seconds remaining. Enter Kelvin Sampson.
Houston’s head coach called an ingenious in-bounds play to get guard Milos Uzan open for a game-winning layup. The Cougars hung on for a 62-60 victory to advance to the Elite 8. Uzan’s 22 points anchored the win in a truly defensive battle.
After losing in the Sweet 16 in the two previous NCAA Tournaments, Houston got the job done this time around. This is also the third Elite 8 appearance in the past five seasons for Sampson and the Cougars.
How To Watch Elite 8 of March Madness 2025
Sunday’s March Madness Elite 8 game between Tennessee and Houston is scheduled to tip off at 2:20 pm ET. You can watch it on CBS and stream it on the March Madness Live app.
The Tennessee vs. Houston matchup is one of two NCAA Tournament games on Sunday. Here’s the upcoming schedule with TV listings for tonight’s Elite 8 action:
- 2:20 pm ET – No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Houston – CBS
- 5:05 pm ET – No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Auburn – CBS
Let’s now dive into Tennessee vs. Houston picks, odds, and predictions.
Tennessee vs. Houston Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines
Before we get to our Tennessee vs. Houston predictions, check out the betting lines on FanDuel Sportsbook. As of this writing, here are the Tennessee vs. Houston odds for tonight’s March Madness Elite 8 showdown:
- Tennessee Volunteers (+128) vs. Houston Cougars (-154)
- Spread: Tennessee +2.5 (-102) vs. Houston -2.5 (-120)
- Game Total: Over 123.5 (-115) vs. Under 123.5 (-105)
Tennessee vs. Houston Pick: Over 123.5 Total Points (-115 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
The stats and profiles of both Tennessee and Houston point to a low-scoring, defensive matchup for this Elite 8. The Cougars boast the top-rated defense in the country (per KenPom) while allowing just 58.5 PPG (first in Division I). Meanwhile, the Vols rank third in defensive efficiency and 10th in points allowed per game.
However, we’re going in the opposite direction. The game total is just a tad too low, and there’s value in betting the over. Let’s grab the Over 123.5 Total Points (-115 on FanDuel Sportsbook) for our Tennessee vs. Houston predictions.
As noted above, both teams are elite defensively. Plus, they both play at very slow paces. Houston is 360th in overall tempo while Tennessee is 349th. That doesn’t exactly scream “over” in a likely defensive slog of a game.
Yet, we can have optimism for both offenses in this matchup. Houston’s three-point shooting is a difference-maker. The Cougars lead the country in three-point shooting percentage this season (39.8%) with three guards making better than 40% of their threes. Though Tennessee ranks third nationally in three-point defense, it did allow Kentucky to shoot 40% from deep last game. The Vols also allowed No. 15 seed Wofford to shoot 42.3% from three in the first round. Meanwhile, Houston has shot 39.1% and 50% from beyond the arc in the last two contests.
LJ Cryer, Houston’s leading scorer, is also due for a bounce-back game after being held to just five points on 2-for-13 shooting in the Sweet 16. When Cryer has scored single-digit points this season, which isn’t often, he’s averaging 16.8 PPG in the following game. The All-Big 12 guard is due for a better offensive performance performance.
On the other end, Tennessee’s offense is performing well lately despite playing at a slow pace. The Vols are averaging 75.8 PPG over the past nine games coming into today. They’ve also scored at least 75 points in seven of their last nine contests. Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier will be ready for Houston’s relentless defensive pressure.
The under is tempting in a game pitting two elite defenses and a pair of slow-paced teams. This still might be a lower-scoring game overall, but the total is a slight overreaction as one or both teams can crack 70 in a back-and-forth, tight contest. Take the Over 123.5 Total Points (-115 on FanDuel Sportsbook) for our Tennessee vs. Houston predictions.
Tennessee vs. Houston Injury Report & Starting Lineups
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
Houston Cougars Injury Report
- Ramon Walker (G) – Out
Houston Cougars Expected Starters
- LJ Cryer (G) – 15.6 PPG, 1.9 APG
- Emmanuel Sharp (G) – 12.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG
- Milos Uzan (G) – 11.5 PPG, 4.4 APG
- J’Wan Roberts (F) – 10.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG
- Joseph Tugler (F) – 5.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG
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Player News
Tim Elko is at DH and batting seventh on Wednesday against the Reds.
Elko has gone 1-for-10 with a three-run homer through three games since being called up last weekend by Chicago. The 26-year-old slugging prospect offers enough power potential to merit a speculative roster spot in deeper formats, but he’s likely to face a significant adjustment period at the big-league level.
Cam Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Royals.
Smith takes a seat after starting five consecutive games in right field since last weekend. It’ll be Zach Dezenzo in right field on Wednesday night. The 22-year-old top prospect is hitting .214/.313/.347 with three homers, 11 RBI and one steal in 30 games this season in his first exposure to the majors. The calls for versatile prospect Shay Whitcomb, who homered twice on Wednesday for Triple-A Sugar Land, are only going to get louder, but Houston appears likely to continue giving Smith an opportunity to figure things out at the highest level given his long-term importance to the franchise.
Bryce Harper went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a walk as the Phillies edged the Cardinals 2-1 in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader.
Harper had a 107-mph flyout and a 102-mph double today, but it was his weak, 70-mph fly to shallow center that made the difference. Dropping in just between Masyn Winn and Victor Scott II, it drove in the go-ahead run in the 2-1 game. Harper had gone hitless in four of his previous five games coming into this one.
Jesús Luzardo limited the Cardinals to one run over seven innings to earn a win in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader.
Luzardo struck out six and walked two. His team was down 1-0 when he threw his final pitch, but a two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh got him the victory. Luzardo improved to 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA. He’s allowed more than two runs just once in nine starts, and it was a mere three runs that time (Apr. 15 against the Giants). He’ll make his next start Monday or Tuesday in Colorado.
Jordan Romano struck out the side in the ninth for a save in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals.
With the top of the Cardinals lineup coming up, the Phils used José Alvarardo and Orion Kerkering to get through the eighth today. That left the bottom of the order for Romano in the ninth, and he struck out Iván Herrera, pinch-hitter Nolan Gorman and pinch-hitter Alec Burleson. It’s Romano’s sixth straight scoreless appearance, a stretch in which he’s lowered his ERA from 13.50 to 8.22. With the Phils content to mix and match in the ninth, Romano is an option for mixed leaguers desperate for saves.
Erick Fedde threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Phillies in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader.
Fedde, coming off a shutout of the Nationals, kept his scoreless streak intact, but he wasn’t allowed to go very deep into this one. The surprising thing was that the Cardinals brought in Steven Matz to replace him in a scoreless tie, rather than going to their late-game relievers. It worked out initially, as Matz stranded both runners he inherited in the sixth. Matz, though, gave up two runs in the seventh in the eventual 2-1 loss. Fedde ended this one with three strikeouts and four walks. He has his ERA down to 3.44, but we’d still suggest staying away in mixed leagues. He’ll face the Tigers next.