The LSU Tigers take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Tennessee is favored by 13.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -1300. The total is set at 144.5 points.
Here’s my LSU vs. Tennessee prediction and college basketball picks for February 14, 2026.
LSU vs Tennessee Prediction
My Pick: Tennessee -13.5
My LSU vs Tennessee best bet is on the Volunteers to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
LSU vs. Tennessee Odds
| LSU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+13.5 -110 | 144.5 -110 / -110 | +800 |
| Tennessee Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-13.5 -110 | 144.5 -110 / -110 | -1300 |
- LSU vs Tennessee spread: Tennessee -13.5
- LSU vs Tennessee over/under: 144.5 points
- LSU vs Tennessee moneyline: LSU +800, Tennessee -1300
LSU vs Tennessee College Basketball Betting Preview
A promising non-conference start for LSU has devolved quickly into a rough conference season, exposing the “paper” Tigers for what they really are.
An injury to star point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. has played a large part in LSU’s second-half slide, but this team was also just never a real conference contender.
LSU has only one win against a KenPom top-50 team this season, and on Saturday, it heads on the road to Thompson Boling Arena, where the Vols have only dropped one game all season.
The Tigers will be without the services of Thomas again, which is massive to their winning and covering chances. Per CBB Analytics, Thomas ranks in the 97th percentile nationally in on/off rating – LSU is way better with him on the floor on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Without Thomas, offense has been hard to come by. Only Max Mackinnon can shoot a lick, meaning LSU is forced to play through Mike Nwoko in the post and deploy bully ball. That’s hard to do against an always-physical Tennessee squad that welcomes contact inside and on the perimeter.
The Vols, once again, have a stingy defense that ranks top-15 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC, per KenPom. They've dogged defenders on the perimeter, and the size, length and strength to belly up to LSU post scorers. They’ll force LSU to play in isolation, which the Tigers are frankly incapable of with Thomas out of the lineup.
The Vols enter this game 5-1 straight-up and 4-2 against the spread over their past six games. Momentum is gaining speed, as Tennessee looks to capture its fifth straight top four seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The offense has been its weaker side all season – like the LSU, Tennessee really can’t shoot from deep and it relies heavily on Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament to put points on the board.
The glass is the Vols’ greatest ally, as they lead the country in offensive rebounding rate. Jaylen Carey (No. 5 nationally in offensive rebound rate) should lead the Vols to glass dominance and ample second chances against the weak defensive rebounding of the Tigers.
Tennessee moves the ball well on this end, scoring off cuts and passing versus off the bounce, but buckets ultimately come down to Gillespie, Ament and the offensive glass.
While the game doesn’t project to be up-tempo, there’s still plenty of time for Tennessee to build and extend a double-digit lead.
At home against an LSU team that's definitely firing its coach this offseason, the Vols should pull away and cover the sizable spread.
My Pick: Tennessee -13.5
