Bet Kentucky vs. Tennessee: March Madness Betting Lines and Odds to win in the Sweet 16 Today

Bet Kentucky vs. Tennessee! The SEC got a record 14 teams into the 2025 March Madness, so it was only a matter of time before two of them face off. There are seven conference schools standing in the Sweet 16 and Midwest Region No. 3 Kentucky looks to complete the three-game season sweep of No. 2 Tennessee on Friday night from Indianapolis. The Vols are solid favorites on the NCAAB odds, with the winner most likely facing Midwest No. 1 Houston on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

This is a revenge spot, with Kentucky defeating Tennessee in both games during the regular season. In those two matchups, Kentucky shot 24-of-48 from 3-point range against a Tennessee team that has allowed opponents to shoot only 27.1% from 3-point range this season.

How to Bet Kentucky vs. Tennessee: MyBookie March Madness Bets in the Sweet 16 & TV Info

Madness Lines subject to change: Tennessee -217 / Kentucky +173
When: Friday, 7:39 PM ET
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
TV: TBS, truTV
Stream: https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live

No other team shot better than 45% from three against UT this season, and only three hits more than 40%.

The first game was Jan. 28 in Knoxville when Kentucky was ranked 12th and Tennessee 8th, and the Cats prevailed 78-73. Kentucky committed eight turnovers in the first half but just five in the second and was led by Koby Brea’s 18 points.

The Vols were a brutal 11-for-45 on 3-pointers. They especially struggled late in the game. UT took 15 field goals in the final 5:20 and 14 were 3-pointers. Kentucky took one field goal in that stretch, but the Vols could not make a timely shot.

The rematch on Feb. 11 in Lexington saw No. 15 Kentucky beat No. 5 Tennessee, 75-64. The Vols by two with less than five minutes to play but made one field goal in the final 4:49.

UT missed all five 3-point attempts in the final minutes, finishing 3-for-18. UK starter Jaxson Robinson was out injured.

Kentucky Has Turned Up Defense

Kentucky dominated No. 14 Troy in Round 1 and defeated Midwest Region No. 6 seed Illinois 84-75 in the Round of 32. They forced Illinois into 14 turnovers, converting them into 26 points, and recorded 14 steals—tied for fifth-most in NCAA Tournament history for Kentucky and a season high for 2024-25. This marked the ninth instance of double-digit steals for the Cats this season.

With the increased effort, the Cats have moved from 110th to 45th in defensive efficiency in the country. UK first-year head coach Mark Pope knows he has standout defenders in Lamont Butler and Amari Williams, but he credits another player with making the Kentucky defense better.

Mark Pope

“The easy answer for me is it is Koby Brea,” Pope said. “He all of a sudden started saying I’m taking this personal. I’m going to take every single defensive possession personal. When things didn’t go right defensively, he was going to take it incredibly personal. And he’s an example of one of the guys on our team — we have a player-led team. We have unbelievable leadership on our team, and it comes from a wide variety of guys, different slices of it. And when you have players that are leading the charge, things get better.”

Brea also tied his season high for scoring with 23 points and had his 27th game of the season with multiple 3-pointers. With eight 3-pointers made Sunday, UK now has 335 triples this season, second most in school history. The 1992-93 team holds the record with 340.

Lanier Carrying Vols Offensively

Tennessee hasn’t been challenged much in this Dance, beating No. 15 Wofford by 15 in Round 1 and ousting No. 7 seed UCLA 67-58 last Saturday. Against the Bruins, fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, who set a new program single-season record for made 3-pointers, led all scorers with 20 points. Lanier, who became the eighth Volunteer with multiple 20-point showings in NCAA Tournament action and the sixth to achieve the feat in back-to-back contests, went 4-of-5 from 3-point range and made all four of his free throws. He added four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Chaz Lanier

The four made 3-pointers extended Lanier’s total this year to 120 also moved him from No. 10 all the way to sixth on the SEC single-season leaderboard, as he passed Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks (117 in 2008-09), South Carolina’s Jamel Bradley (117 in 2001-02), Florida’s Michael Frazier (118 in 2013-14) and the aforementioned Lofton.

Lanier is the 10th Tennessee player—13th instance—to reach 650 points in a single campaign, including the third in the Barnes era, joining Dalton Knecht (780 in 2023-24) and Grant Williams (969 in 2018-19).

Zakai Zeigler

Zeigler totaled 15 points, a game-high six assists to tie the SEC single-season record (260) set by Ole Miss’ Sean Tuohy (1979-80). Zeigler’s six assists also increased his career total in NCAA Tournament play to 56, over twice as many as second-place Bert Bertelkamp (27) on the Tennessee leaderboard. Zeigler’s three steals upped his, 2024-25 figure to 69, moving him from co-seventh all the way to fourth on the Tennessee single-season list.

Tennessee also had its best defensive performance in weeks against UCLA, limiting the Bruins to 58 points and 0.93 points per possession. The Volunteers have held a halftime advantage in 24 of their 36 outings this season.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee NCAAB Game Trends

• Wildcats are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games.
• Kentucky are 15-5 ATS in their last 20 games when playing as the underdog.
• Wildcats are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against Tennessee.
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kentucky’s last 6 games vs. an SEC foe.
• Vols are 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games.
• Vols are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing as the favorite.
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tennessee’s last 7 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tennessee’s last 8 games against Kentucky.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee March Madness Expert Prediction

These rivals have played three times in a season three times previously in Coach Rick Barnes’ decade at UT and neither has swept. Tennessee swept the regular-season series in 2018 but lost in the SEC tournament title game against Kentucky. The Vols and Wildcats split the regular-season matchups in 2019 and 2022. Tennessee beat UK in the SEC tournament semifinals in the third meeting in each of those seasons.

The Vols need more from star guard Chaz Lanier to win this time. He wasn’t at his best in either prior game against Kentucky as Lanier was 3-for-10 from 3 in the first meeting and 0-for-7 in the second, averaging 12.5 points. In Tennessee’s wins this season, Lanier is averaging 19.4 points and shooting 43.8% from 3; in losses, he is at 12.6 points and 27.5% from 3.

Barnes is now 32-28 in his career in the Big Dance, good for the sixth-most victories of any active Division I head coach. The Volunteers are 30-27 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, 11-6 under Barnes. Tennessee is now 10-4 as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UT has a three-year streak of reaching the Sweet 16, the first such occurrence in program history.

Kentucky is the only team in the last 20 years to make the Sweet 16 with zero returning points from the previous season. It is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 and now 132-55 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. It holds NCAA records for most tournament appearances (62) and most games played (187). UK is second for most victories (132) and fourth in winning percentage (.706, 132-55, min. 20 tournament games). The Cats are now 8-4 as the No. 3 seed in the tournament since seedings began in 1980. Tennessee 75, Kentucky 72.

BRACKET SZN

The madness continues TODAY! Let’s. Go.

Who wants a casino hookup from the MyBookie squad? ‍♂️

➡️ https://t.co/qkAYhnp4nm

#BetWithTheBest pic.twitter.com/kW62fJZNN5

— MyBookie – Bet With The Best (@MyBookie) March 27, 2025

MyBookie College Basketball

---

College Basketball Odds | Online Betting

mybookie App Download App

Download Remind me later