The Tennessee Volunteers (12-4 overall, 5-4 SEC) visit the Kentucky Wildcats (5-11, 4-5) for a Saturday night (8 p.m. ET) SEC contest at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. Below, we analyze the Tennessee-Kentucky college basketball odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Tennessee is No. 10 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Tennessee at Kentucky: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Tennessee -175 (bet $175 to win $100) | Kentucky +145 (bet $100 to win $145)
- Against the spread/ATS: Tennessee -3.5 (-110) | Kentucky +3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 125.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Tennessee at Kentucky: Three things to know
- The Volunteers head into this game off a disappointing 52-50 loss at Mississippi State Tuesday. Tennessee shot just 35.6% from the floor and has had similar shooting woes in recent games. The Vols shot just 29.3% in a Jan. 19 loss to Florida and 37% in an against-the-spread loss to Ole Miss Jan. 26.
- Kentucky has lost five of six games since Jan. 12. The Wildcats have connected on just 28.7% of their 3-point attempts and have been a consistent minus in turnovers over that stretch. UK was a minus-5 in the turnover exchange in a Wednesday loss to Missouri; the Wildcats have been on the minus side of the miscue ledger in every game since Jan. 12.
- Both teams are solidly in the bottom-15 in tempo/possession analytics. And both teams rank in the top-20 in defensive efficiency numbers. Tennessee has held foes under 62 points in five of its last seven games; UK has held opponents under 40% from the field in five straight.
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Tennessee at Kentucky: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Tennessee 61, Kentucky 58
Money line (ML)
PASS. True odds look to be well-bracketed here.
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Against the spread (ATS)
KENTUCKY +3.5 (-110) IS A LEAN, but its a slight lean at best. UT is talented but all too capable of iffy shooting performances. Of course, iffy shooting is the neighborhood where UK lives.
Kentucky’s Jan. 26 loss to Alabama is instructive in this play. The Wildcats lost, 70-59 — in Tuscaloosa, Ala., — but the nuts and bolts of the contest were UK-favorable. The game was a one-possession event until the final minutes, and the Wildcats logged a poor 2-point shooting game.
Over/Under (O/U)
UK defends inside and blocks shots at elite levels. Both teams rigorously defend every look to the hilt. The total here is practically a toy number at first glance. But 115-120 is certainly a possibility, and a 130-plus would really take an uncharacteristic shooting performance.
TAKE THE UNDER 125.5 (-105).
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