It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a UCLA-Tennessee prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UCLA-Tennessee.
The UCLA Bruins have a chance to do something special. They are a No. 7 seed, which is not special at all for a program with UCLA’s history and overall stature. Now, however, the Bruins could do something which makes the rest of the nation take notice. Taking out second-seeded Tennessee would get everyone’s attention. It would also put UCLA back in the Sweet 16 and turn an ordinary regular season into a special March Madness for Mick Cronin and Company.
UCLA was demolished by Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The Bruins allowed 19 made 3-pointers from the Badgers. They really needed to come out of the tunnel with a lot of energy and passion against Utah State in the first round of this NCAA Tournament, and they did, waltzing to a very easy win over the Aggies. Now UCLA faces a big challenge in a game which will help define how the Bruins’ season is remembered.
Here are the UCLA-Tennessee College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
2025 March Madness Tournament Odds: UCLA-Tennessee Odds
UCLA: +5.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +184
Tennessee: -5.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -225
Over: 131.5 (-115)
Under: 131.5 (-105)
How to Watch UCLA vs Tennessee
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT
TV: TBS, TruTV
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why UCLA Will Cover The Spread/Win
Tennessee’s offense can bog down in March. UCLA prides itself on its defense. It’s Mick Cronin’s calling card. UCLA can make this game ugly, and if it does, that means Tennessee’s offense won’t play well enough to pull away and give the Vols a lopsided win. Tennessee does have a formidable defense, but UCLA will stay close as long as it does its job at the defensive end of the floor. Tennessee can be lethal when its shots are falling, but when they aren’t, the Vols are ordinary and very beatable. UCLA knows that it hasn’t performed at the level it expects from itself this season. This is a chance for the Bruins to compensate for a lot of what they have done over the past four and a half months. This is a Super Bowl-like moment for the Bruins, who will play with the focus of a team whose season is on the line.
Why Tennessee Will Cover The Spread/Win
Tennessee will not be threatened at all by UCLA’s offense. Tennessee can lock down the Bruins and thereby ensure they won’t give up a big scoring run. Tennessee might have some offensive lulls against a good UCLA defense over the course of 40 minutes, but as long as Tennessee can play 20 minutes of good offense and max out in those sequences, the Vols should be able to create enough offense such that UCLA will not be able to keep pace. Tennessee will cover this relatively small spread as long as it plays a decent (B-minus) offensive game. It will take a D or C-minus performance for the Vols to not cover.
The other thing to point out about this game is that it is in Lexington, Kentucky. Tennessee fans will dominate Rupp Arena and make this essentially a home game for the Vols. It’s a pure road game for UCLA. That will likely matter enough to shift the outcome of the game a few points in Tennessee’s direction, compared to a true neutral court.
Final UCLA-Tennessee Prediction & Pick
Tennessee being close to home in Lexington makes us think the crowd will affect the energy of the game in a way which helps the Vols. Take Tennessee.
Final UCLA-Tennessee Prediction & Pick: Tennessee -5.5
The post UCLA vs Tennessee prediction, odds, pick for Men’s March Madness 2025 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
