Tennessee vs. Kentucky prediction, picks, odds for 2025 men's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
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1 seeds Florida & Duke prep for Elite 8 against Texas Tech & Alabama
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down Elite 8 matchups, as No. 1 Florida will take on No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 1 Duke will verse No. 2 Alabama.
Sports Seriously
The Sweet 16 of the men's 2025 NCAA Tournament continues Friday night with an all-SEC matchup in the Midwest region as the March Madness bracket officially gets whittled down to eight teams heading into the weekend.
The Tennessee Volunteers earned a No. 2 seed in the 2025 March Madness bracket and defeated the Wofford Terriers in the first round and the UCLA Bruins in the second round to reach this point. Tennessee's opponent, the 3-seeded Kentucky Wildcats, advanced after defeating both the Troy Trojans and the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Tennessee ranks as the fifth-best team in the KenPom rankings, sporting the 17th-best offense and third-best defense. Meanwhile, Kentucky ranks 15th overall with the 11th-ranked offense and 45th-ranked defense. Tennessee lost both of its regular-season meetings against Kentucky during SEC play this year.
Here's how our experts see Friday's Sweet 16 clash playing out. Be sure to check out the complete March Madness 2025 Sweet 16 schedule, times and TV info.
Tennessee vs. Kentucky picks and predictions
Three of our four experts are expecting Tennessee to continue dancing into the Elite Eight. Only USA TODAY's Craig Meyer is predicting Kentucky to win and advance. However, AZ Central's Jeremy Cluff and Louisville Courier Journal's Ryan Black are both taking Kentucky to cover the 4.5-point spread. That leaves Knoxville News Sentinel's Mike Wilson as the lone wolf laying the points with the Volunteers. Meyer and Wilson are taking the under 144.5-point total, while Cluff and Black are on the over.
Tennessee vs. Kentucky date, start time, where to watch
Game Day: Friday, March 28, 2025
Friday, March 28, 2025 Game Time: 7:39 p.m. ET
7:39 p.m. ET Location: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis) TV Channel: TBS, truTV
TBS, truTV Live Stream: Sling TV - Watch Now!
Watch Tennessee vs. Kentucky on Sling TV
Tennessee vs. Kentucky odds
Odds as of Friday, March 28 via BetMGM.
Spread: Tennessee (-4.5)
Tennessee (-4.5) Moneyline Favorite: Tennessee -210
Tennessee -210 Moneyline Underdog: Kentucky +170
Kentucky +170 Total: 144.5
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