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Tennessee vs Kentucky Predictions - Volunteers Predicted to Advance

The Tennessee Volunteers have been predicted to advance to the elite eight round in the NCAA Tournament.

Jonathan Williams

Mar 22, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes looks on during the first half against the UCLA Bruins in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes looks on during the first half against the UCLA Bruins in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
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The Tennessee Volunteers have been predicted to advance to the elite eight round in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tennessee Volunteers dominated UCLA in the second round of the tournament to earn a spot in the sweet sixteen, but now they must face a familiar opponent. The Kentucky Wildcats are a team that beat Tennessee not once during the regular season but twice. Certainly makes for an interesting third round matchup.

It's hard to determine who the favorite should be in this matchup consideirng the history and also the fact that Tennessee is a 2-seed and Kentucky is a 3-seed. However, ESPN released their predictions for the game, and they have a clear favorite heading into this one.

Tennessee vs Kentucky Predictions via ESPN

Borzello's prediction: Tennessee 73-69
Medcalf's prediction: Tennessee 79-77
Lunardi's prediction: Tennessee 72-71

As to why Tennessee will when, here is what Borzello had to say:

"Kentucky already has beaten Tennessee twice this season," Borzello wrote. "But the Volunteers saw fantastic performances from their guards in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, with Chaz Laniertotaling 49 points in two games while shooting 10-for-18 from 3-point range and Zakai Zeigleraveraging 13.5 points and 9.0 assists. Tennessee also had its best defensive performance in weeks against UCLA, limiting the Bruins to 58 points and 0.93 points per possession. Kentucky looked great in its pair of tourney wins, especially with Lamont Butler healthy. But Kentucky also went 12-for-24 from 3 in each previous meeting with the Vols; that lofty shooting efficiency could be hard to replicate a third time."

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Jonathan Williams
JONATHAN WILLIAMS

Jonathan Williams is a multimedia sports journalist who graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism. He has multiple years of experience in covering college football for a variety of teams

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