The Kentucky Wildcats take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, TN. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Tennessee is favored by 5.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -275. The total is set at 147.5 points.
Here’s my Kentucky vs. Tennessee prediction and college basketball picks for January 17, 2026.
Kentucky vs Tennessee Prediction
My Pick: Under 147.5 (Play to 142)
My Kentucky vs Tennessee best bet is on the under. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee Odds
| Kentucky Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -110 | 147.5 -110o / -110u | +225 |
| Tennessee Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -110 | 147.5 -110o / -110u | -275 |
- Kentucky vs Tennessee spread: Tennessee -5.5
- Kentucky vs Tennessee over/under: 147.5 points
- Kentucky vs Tennessee moneyline: Kentucky +225, Tennessee -275
Kentucky vs Tennessee College Basketball Betting Preview
Kentucky Basketball
Kentucky will be without two of its prized transfers yet again. Point guard Jaland Lowe is done for the season and stud center Jayden Quaintance will miss another game — at least.
I’m very lukewarm on the Wildcats' offensive outlook moving forward. They enter this contest ranked 49th in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
Additionally, the Wildcats have slowed down their tempo this season — their adjusted tempo ranks 172nd nationally, which is the slowest for a Mark Pope-coached team since BYU in 2021.
Over their last four games, Kentucky is 110th in offensive efficiency, per Bart Torvik.
The only reliable scorer for the Cats is Otega Oweh, who's scored 20+ points in three straight games. Oweh has an even bigger role now, as he’s splitting lead guard duties with Denzel Aberdeen.
The issue? Neither is a real point guard. I don’t trust the big three of Oweh, Aberdeen and Collin Chandler to succeed against this Tennessee defense.
The shot diet will likely trend towards taking even more 2s moving forward. Why? Well, Oweh is more of a driver who teams will dare to shoot, none of the bigs are shooters, and Kam Williams is the only real catch-and-shoot threat.
In the win over LSU, Kentucky took 23 3-pointers. The Vols would love them to shoot that many in this game.
Kentucky is a real lengthy squad, which should help it maintain its strong defensive play. All five of the Cats' starters are 6-foot-4 or taller, with 6-foot-11 Andrija Jelavic and 7-footer Malachi Moreno serving as rim deterrents.
Glue-guy big man Mo Dioubate also adds some energy off the bench now that he's healthy.
Tennessee Basketball
I have some great news for Tennessee fans: This is a home game, which is the only time the Vols look half decent in league play. They took a pair of beatings at the hands of Arkansas and Florida in consecutive road games, with home wins over Texas and Texas A&M sandwiched in between.
Flipping the calendar to January was bad news for the Vols. They rank 42nd, per Bart Torvik, this month with the 105th-best offense in the country.
Make no mistake, Rick Barnes is a defensive-minded guy, but he made some real waves in his style the past few years. Sadly, he's reverted to playing an old-school style of basketball.
The Vols only attempt 3s on 34% of their field goals and shoot just 34% on them. Ja'Kobi Gillespie is the team's best player and the only trustworthy scorer on the roster. He adds 18 points per game and shoots 34% from deep.
Teams can pack the paint against Tennessee and dare it to shoot. The best offense for the Vols is usually crashing the glass, as they grab an offensive board a nation-leading 43% of the time.
Barnes deploys a lineup featuring two true bigs at all times, starting Felix Okpara with one of J.P. Estrella or Jaylen Carey mixed in. None of them can shoot, and none can be an ace defensively like Bishop Boswell.
So, that leaves Gillespie and Nate Ament, a highly touted freshman who's been more of a bricklayer than anything else this season.
You can see why Tennessee is such a poor offensive team. The Vols make up for it by ranking 11th in defensive efficiency, but that offense is ugly.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee Betting Analysis
I'll go with the under here. Neither team plays very fast, and Kentucky will likely have to shoot 3s to have any shot at winning.
That's a good thing for the Vols. Their rim-protecting bigs should force Kentucky to stay close to the perimeter instead of getting into the lane.
I expect a game in the high 60-point range. The winner may touch 70s, but I don't see both teams getting there.
My Pick: Under 147.5 (Play to 142)
