The No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers (5-0) will try to take home some early-season hardware when they face the No. 13 Baylor Bears (4-1) in the 2024 Baha Mar Hoops Championship game on Friday night. Tennessee held a 22-21 lead at halftime of its opening-round game against Virginia on Thursday, but the Vols dominated the second half en route to a 64-42 win. Baylor needed double overtime to beat No. 22 St. John's in its semifinal game, winning on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. This will be the first all-time meeting between these schools in men's basketball.
Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. ET at the Baha Mar Convention Center on CBS Sports Network. Tennessee is favored by 4.5 points in the latest Baylor vs. Tennessee odds, while the over/under is 141.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Tennessee vs. Baylor picks, you'll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 3 of the 2024-25 season on a 156-114 betting roll (+1762) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Tennessee-Baylor. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:
- Baylor vs. Tennessee spread: Tennessee -4.5
- Baylor vs. Tennessee over/under: 141.5 points
- Baylor vs. Tennessee money line: Tennessee: -200, Baylor: +170
- Baylor vs. Tennessee picks: See picks here
- Baylor vs. Tennessee streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Tennessee can cover
Tennessee is off to an excellent start this season, building on its run to the Elite Eight from last season's NCAA Tournament. The Vols have picked up three blowout wins at home to go along with a 77-55 win at Louisville as 2.5-point underdogs two weeks ago. They used their elite defense to stifle Virginia in the second half of the opening round on Thursday, outscoring the Cavaliers 42-21 after halftime.
Senior guard Chaz Lanier led Tennessee with 26 points on 10 of 23 shooting, including a 6 of 12 mark from 3-point range. Senior forward Igor Milicic Jr. added 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists, continuing his strong start to the year. Lanier leads Tennessee with 16.2 points per game, while Milicic (14.0) and senior guard Zakai Zeigler (12.8) are both double-digit scorers as well. See which team to pick here.
Why Baylor can cover
Baylor got off to a rough start this year when it was blown out by then-No. 6 Gonzaga, but it has responded with a four-game winning streak. The Bears beat then-No. 16 Arkansas two weeks ago before crushing Sam Houston and Tarleton State at home. They erased a 14-point halftime deficit in their double-overtime win over No. 22 St. John's on Thursday, as Duke transfer Jeremy Roach knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Roach finished with 20 points, four assists and three rebounds, shooting 7 of 14 from the floor. Miami transfer Norchad Omier posted a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, increasing his season averages to 15.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. The Bears had six players finish in double figures on Thursday, and they will rely on their balance to score against Tennessee's defense. See which team to pick here.
How to make Baylor vs. Tennessee picks
The model has simulated Tennessee vs. Baylor 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Baylor vs. Tennessee, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Tennessee vs. Baylor spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 156-114 roll on top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.
