Tennessee Volunteers vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/11/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Venue:  Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Tennessee -1, Kentucky +1; Over/Under:  146.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Tennessee -1, Kentucky +1; Over/Under:  146.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Tennessee -1, Kentucky +1; Over/Under:  146.5 points

Tennessee Volunteers:  20-4 (7-4) (5th place, SEC)

Kentucky Wildcats:  16-7 (5-5) (10th place, SEC)

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Tennessee Volunteers:  3-2  last 5

Kentucky Wildcats:  2-3  last 5

Tennessee is entering this game with a 20-4 record overall, a 7-4 record in conference games, and they are 4-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Oklahoma Sooners in their last game. Chaz Lanier led the team in points per game in that game with 21 while Zakai Zeigler was next on the team with 17. Zakai Zeigler led the team in assists with 9 in that game while Jordan Gainey and Cade Phillips each led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 60.4% from the field, 42.9% from 3-point range, and 60% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 59.2 PPG against them. Tennessee has an ATS record of 15-9 this season and their O/U record is 9-15.

Kentucky is entering this game with a 16-7 record overall, a 5-5 conference record, and they are 12-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the South Carolina Gamecocks in their last game. Otega Oweh led the team in points in that game with 17 while Brandon Garrison was next on the team with 15. Koby Brea led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Amari Williams led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 48.4% from the field, 34.8% from 3-point range, and 92.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 86.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 76.6 PPG against them. Kentucky has an ATS record of 11-12 this season and their O/U record is 13-10.

The current betting odds have Tennessee listed as a 1 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Tennessee has looked great in their games this season with their 20-4 record overall and their 7-4 conference record which has them right near the top of the SEC. They have been a good road team so far with their 4-3 road record this season, but they have looked a lot better in their games lately too. Meanwhile, Kentucky has looked good in their games this season with their 16-7 record overall and their 5-5 conference record which has them right in the middle of the SEC. They have looked great on their home court with their 12-2 home record, but they have also been a really up and down team in the SEC. This is a new team in Mark Pope's first season coaching it but it might not be for the better. They are only 2-3 in their last 5 games and coming off a home win over South Carolina in their last one. They have been able to beat up on bad teams lately, but they have struggled against stronger opponents they have had to face. Tennessee hasn't been the best in their road games this season, but they still have a winning road record and have looked a lot better lately. They are coming off a big road win over Oklahoma in their last one and have some momentum on their side with 3 wins in a row now. This 3 game winning streak also started right after a home loss to Kentucky just 2 weeks ago, and that is Tennessee's only home loss this season so they are going to bring their best effort to get Kentucky back on the road here. The best way to place a bet here is on Tennessee to cover the spread in this game. 

Tennessee Kentucky Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, February 11, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Tennessee 68 Kentucky 63.

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Tennessee Volunteers: 9-3 ATS off a road win against a conference rival. 7-3 ATS after a game where they made 55% of their shots or better. 17-8 ATS versus up-tempo teams averaging 62 or more shots/game. 7-4 OVER on the road when the line is +3 to -3. 6-3 1H OVER after a game where they made 55% of their shots or better.

Kentucky Wildcats: 14-25 ATS off a home win. 1-6 ATS after a game where they allowed a shooting pct. of 33% or less. 20-29 ATS after playing a home game. 35-15 OVER in all home games. 18-9 OVER after a win by 15 points or more. 33-19 OVER versus teams who are called for 17 or less fouls/game.

Tennessee Volunteers:  J. Estrella (F) Out - Foot.

Kentucky Wildcats:  K. Kriisa (G) Out - Foot.

“The fact that I thought we were locked in defensively and started making those shots again, the first half was pretty special.” - Rick Barnes after his team’s win against Oklahoma in their last game. 

"The way we function offensively is because of our pace and because of our movement away from the ball, and all that takes energy. We're an energy team. There are some teams in our league that are not. They're just execution and kind of brute physicality teams. We feed off energy. We live and thrive off energy. The way we were built was to beat teams through just wave after wave of energy." - Mark Pope on his team’s rotation this season. 

C. Lanier 

J. Mashack 

I. Milicic 

F. Okpara 

Z. Zeigler

L. Butler 

A. Carr 

O. Oweh 

J. Robinson 

A. Williams

PPG: C. Lanier (17.7)

APG: Z. Zeigler (7.5)

Reb/G: I. Milicic (8)

PPG: O. Oweh (16)

APG: L. Butler (4.7)

Reb/G: A. Williams (9)

Coaches:

Tennessee Volunteers: Rick Barnes (10th season)

Kentucky Wildcats: Mark Pope (1st season)