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The 2025 NCAA Tournament brings a rivalry matchup between the No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers (29-7) and No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats (24-11) in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. Kentucky swept the regular-season series between these teams, and it has reached the second weekend of the Big Dance in its first year under head coach Mark Pope. Tennessee beat Wofford and UCLA to advance to its third consecutive Sweet 16 under veteran coach Rick Barnes. These teams have met 241 times, but this is their first meeting in the NCAA Tournament. 

Tipoff from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is set for 7:39 p.m. ET. Tennessee is a 4.5-point favorite in the latest Tennessee vs. Kentucky odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 144.5. Before making any Kentucky vs. Tennessee picks, be sure to check out the 2025 March Madness predictions from red-hot college basketball expert Thomas Casale.

A frequent guest on national radio and TV shows to discuss college sports, Casale has a knack for picking college basketball winners, going 341-208 (62.1%) over the last three campaigns. He joined SportsLine in 2024 and promptly went 28-14-1 (67%) in CBB, returning $1,215 to $100 players. He's now 60-36 (+1828) in his last 96 official college basketball picks on SportsLine, and he is 9-0 (+900) on his last nine picks in Kentucky games. Anyone following could have seen huge returns. 

Now, Casale has set his sights on Tennessee vs. Kentucky and just locked in his Sweet 16 predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the Casale's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for Kentucky vs. Tennessee:

  • Tennessee vs. Kentucky spread: Tennessee -4.5
  • Tennessee vs. Kentucky over/under: 144.5 points  
  • Tennessee vs. Kentucky money line: Tennessee -207, Kentucky +171
  • TENN: The Volunteers are 4-1 against the spread in their last five Friday games 
  • UK: The Wildcats are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against Tennessee  
  • Tennessee vs. Kentucky picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Tennessee can cover

Tennessee certainly has the revenge factor on its side after dropping a pair of games to Kentucky during the regular season. The Vols, who have one of the top defenses in college basketball, allowed the Wildcats to shoot 50% from 3-point range in both of those meetings. They should be much better at limiting Kentucky from the perimeter in the third matchup.  

The Vols are coming off comfortable wins over Wofford and UCLA in their first two games of the tournament, covering the 5.5-point spread in their 67-58 win over the Bruins. Chaz Lanier scored 20 points and shot 4 of 5 from 3-point range, while veteran guard Zakai Zeigler had 15 points and six assists. Lanier, a North Florida transfer, leads Tennessee with 18.1 points per game. See which team to pick here.

Why Kentucky can cover 

Kentucky finished sixth in the SEC during the regular season, but it proved to be a problem for Tennessee in both matchups. The Wildcats scored 78 points in a road win in January before scoring 75 points in a win at Rupp Arena last month. They are coming off one of their most impressive showings of the season, beating No. 6 seed Illinois outright as 2-point underdogs. 

Senior guard Koby Brea had 23 points and six rebounds, knocking down 10 of 16 shots from the floor. Lamont Butler (14) and Otega Oweh (15) both finished in double figures as well, stepping up with second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson sidelined. The Wildcats have won and covered the spread in five of the last six meetings between these teams. See which team to pick here.

How to make Tennessee vs. Kentucky picks

Casale is leaning Over on the total, but he's also identified a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread in this Sweet 16 matchup. You can only get the Casale's picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Kentucky vs. Tennessee, and which side of the spread should you be jumping all over? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Tennessee vs. Kentucky spread to jump on, all from a red-hot college basketball expert that is on a 60-36 (+1828) run on his NCAA hoops picks, and find out.