UCLA vs Tennessee Prediction 3/22/25 College Basketball Picks

The Tennessee Volunteers and the UCLA Bruins meet Saturday in college basketball action from Rupp Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Tennessee vs. UCLA prediction.

Tennessee Recap

The Tennessee Volunteers come into the Round of 32 after picking up a 77-62 win over Wofford last time out.

Volunteers Looking For Third Straight Sweet 16 Appearance

Chaz Lanier leads the Vols in scoring with 17.7 PPG along with 3.8 RPG while Igor Milicic Jr. has 10 PPG with a team-high 6.9 RPG to lead the Vols on the glass. Zakai Zeigler has 13.8 PPG with 3.1 RPG and a team-high 7.3 APG to lead the Vols in the assist department up to this point in the year. Jordan Gainey has 11.4 PPG to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Tennessee up to this point in the year. Felix Okpara also has 7.3 PPG with 6.2 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Tennessee is averaging 74.7 PPG on 45.5% shooting from the field, 34% from three and 74.3% from the foul line this season.

Why the Tennessee Volunteers will win

• Tennessee has won each of its last 17 night games against non-Conference opponents.
• UCLA has lost each of its last seven games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.

UCLA Recap

The UCLA Bruins punched their ticket to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament after ending up with a 72-47 win over Utah State last time out.

Bruins Looking To Get To Sweet 16 For Fourth Time In Last Five Years

Tyler Bilodeau leads the Bruins in scoring with 13.6 PPG along with 4.5 RPG while Eric Dailey Jr. has 11.6 PPG with 4.1 RPG as the only other double-digit scorer for UCLA up to this point in the year. Sebastian Mack has 9.9 PPG while Dylan Andrews has 7.1 PPG with 3.3 APG and Kobe Johnson’s chipped in 8.1 PPG with team-highs of 5.9 RPG and 3 APG as well as 1.7 SPG to lead the Bruins in rebounding, assists and steals as well this season. Skyy Clark’s also added 8 PPG and 2.9 RPG with 2.8 APG as well this season. As a team, UCLA is averaging 74.8 PPG on 46.6% shooting from the field, 35.2% from three and 70.3% from the foul line this season.

Why the UCLA Bruins will win

• UCLA has won each of its last seven night games against non-Conference opponents.
• Tennessee has lost four of its last five games against the Big Ten Conference at neutral venues.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Tennessee’s last seven games have produced a total of 135+ points.
• Twenty-six of UCLA’s last 29 games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 134+ points.

Tennessee vs. UCLA Prediction

I’m on the over in this game. I know this is a battle between two defensive-minded programs, but it’s also two teams that I don’t think get nearly enough recognition for how efficient their offenses can be. UCLA was finding a lot of success against Utah State and the game probably goes over if Utah State has a competent shooting night and Tennessee was running it up on Wofford. I think this is going to be a higher-scoring game, so give me the over here.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Over 130.5