Kentucky (3) vs. Tennessee (2) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Sweet 16 Odds
The Kentucky Wildcats are arguably the most successful program in tournament history, so it’s a bit surprising that this is their first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2019. The Wildcats punched their ticket with an 94-75 win over No. 6 Illinois.
The Tennessee Volunteers have seen much better tournament results over the last 20 years. The Vols are into the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year following a 67-58 win over No. 7 UCLA.
Tennessee is a 3.5-point favourite to win on the NCAAB odds, with the total pegged at 144.5.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this game will face either No. 1 Houston or No. 4 Purdue in the Elite Eight. Kentucky, who has the highest winning percentage and most all-time victories of any school in tournament history, has previously made the Elite Eight 38 times. The Vols have two previous trips to the Elite Eight, last year and in 2010.
Tennessee is sitting at +1600 to win the tournament on the NCAAB futures board, while the Wildcats are +5500. Of course, the Vols have never made it past the Elite Eight, while Kentucky has won the national championship eight times, last doing so in 2012. Only UCLA’s 11 national championships (last title in 1995) ranks higher than the Wildcats.
Kentucky Wildcats (3)
Koby Brea matched a career-high with 23 points against Illinois on Sunday as Kentucky reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. Otega Oweh chipped in 15 points, Lamont Butler had 14 points and Amari Williams finished with eight points and 10 rebounds. The Wildcats’ depth was on display in the first half as leading scorer Oweh was limited to just six minutes because of foul trouble.
Kentucky is looking for a clean sweep of the season series against Tennessee after beating them twice in 2025. The Wildcats won 78-73 in Knoxville on Jan. 28 and 75-64 in Lexington on Feb. 11. Brea shot the lights out in the first game, going 5-for-5 from the field, including 3-for-3 from the 3-point line. The key to that second matchup was Kentucky holding the Vols to 3-of-18 from beyond the arc.
Tennessee Volunteers (2)
Chaz Lanier had himself a game against UCLA on Saturday, finishing with 20 points, while sinking four of five three-pointers. The performance was no surprise as Lanier set Tennessee’s single-season record for 3s with 120 this season. Zakai Zeigler dropped 15 points and six assists and Jordan Gainey scored 13 points as the Vols reached the Sweet 16 for a school-record third straight year.
If Tennessee wants to finally crack Kentucky, they’ll need to do what made them so successful in the stacked SEC this season and that’s elite defending. The Vols led the SEC with just 63 points allowed per game, while limiting opponents to 38.4 per cent shooting, fourth-best in the nation. They also led the SEC (third in nation) in defending the 3-point line, with opponents shooting 28.2 per cent from beyond the arc.