| MATCHUP | Norse Northern Kentucky | Volunteers Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Spread | +26.5 -105 | -26.5 -115 |
| Moneyline | +2000 | -6500 |
| Total | Over 137.5 (-115) | Under 137.5 (-105) |
| Where | Food City Center, Knoxville, TN | |
| When | Saturday, November 8, 2025 | |
| Time | 03:00 PM EST | |
| TV | SECN+ | |
The Northern Kentucky Norse and the Tennessee Volunteers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Thompson-Boling Arena. Here’s a Northern Kentucky vs Tennessee prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Northern Kentucky vs Tennessee pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. We’ll tie it all together with a summary that produces a favorable betting outcome for this game.
Northern Kentucky Norse Betting Preview
The Norse were nearly able to reach their 18-win total from the 2023-24 season last year, but fell just short with a 17-16 overall run. Northern Kentucky managed to go 11-9 in Horizon League matchups, which put the team ahead of only Wright State, IUPUI, Detroit Mercy and Green Bay in the conference standings. After a six-game losing streak in January, the Norse were able to right the proverbial ship and only lost two games (versus Robert Morris and at Milwaukee) the rest of the way. Following a four-game win streak heading into the postseason, Northern Kentucky beat Detroit Mercy in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament. The Norse would fall to Cleveland State in a tough 68-63 result in game two however, ending the team’s campaign for good on March 6.
This year Northern Kentucky opened up their season with a matchup versus UC Clermont. It ended up being a pretty one-sided affair, and the Norse dominated the floor the whole way. NKU posted a 63-28 edge in the first half and a 63-41 run from there on the way to a 126-69 victory at home. Tops in scoring was Kael Robinson with 22 points and two rebounds, while Dan Gherezgher added 18 points and six boards. Donovan Oday put up 15 points, six rebounds and two assists in the winning effort as well.
Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview
Over on the Tennessee side, they managed to exceed the 2023-24 season in the win column last year, bagging a 30-8 overall run with a 12-6 mark in a very, very difficult Southeastern Conference. That would put the Vols behind only Auburn, Florida and Alabama in the standings. Tennessee went into the postseason with a 5-1 run (featuring only a road loss to Ole Miss), then beat Texas and Auburn on the way to the conference tournament championship. After a loss to Florida, Tennessee got a berth in the NCAA Tournament where they rolled past Wofford, UCLA and Kentucky to the Elite Eight. Tennessee wasn’t able to advance from there however, as they fell versus Houston on March 30.
Tennessee kicked off their year versus Mercer on Monday. In that one the Vols entered the second half with a 33-21 edge, then hit 43 more points in a 76-61 win. Tops in scoring was Nate Ament with 18 points and nine boards. The only other scorer on the team to reach double-figures in that one was JP Estrella with 12 points and five boards in 20 minutes. Jalen Carey led the rebounding with 10 alongside his eight points in 16 minutes of work in the win.
Northern Kentucky Norse @ Tennessee Volunteers Betting Trends: November 8, 2025
Why the Tennessee Volunteers will win
- Tennessee has won each of its last 14 games at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Northern Kentucky has lost each of its last seven Saturday road games against non-Conference opponents.
- Northern Kentucky has lost the first half in each of its last five road games against non-Conference opponents.
Why the Northern Kentucky Norse will win
- Northern Kentucky has won four of its last five day games against non-Conference opponents.
Northern Kentucky vs Tennessee Prediction
I’ll likely stick with the Volunteers here. I’m probably not touching it in reality, though. In their first matchup of the season Tennessee got minutes for a lot of different players as they spread the love in a home mismatch. The Volunteers will likely repeat that formula here, but I’d like to see a more dominant result on the scoreboard.
As for Northern Kentucky, they had zero issues with UC Clermont in their opener. The Norse shot 56 percent from the field and 43 percent (12-of-28) from 3-point range in the blowout victory, adding a dominant 54-21 rebounding advantage. The difficulty, obviously, will significantly ramp up here; it’ll be NKU’s first tough game of the year. The outcome will likely be reversed this time.