Tennessee vs. UCLA Prediction, Odds & Tonight's Preview: NCAA Tournament Best Bets
The No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers (28-7) meet the No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins (23-10) tonight in the NCAA Tournament's second round. Tipoff for this Midwest Region clash is at 9:40 p.m. ET (TBS) from Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
The Volunteers are 4.5-point betting favorites. We aren’t fond of the Bruins’ chances to unseat the higher seed in our Tennessee vs. UCLA prediction, odds, and preview as part of our March Madness predictions.
🏀 Tennessee vs. UCLA prediction & picks tonight
Here are my best Tennessee vs. UCLA predictions for the second round of the NCAA Tournament; use our parlay calculator to get the best odds for any same-game parlay:
✅ Against the spread pick: Tennessee -4.5 (-110 via BetMGM) vs. UCLA ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔥 Best player prop bet: Zakai Zeigler Over 6.5 assists (-130 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎯 Exact score prediction: Tennessee 68, UCLA 62 (+23000 via FanDuel)
👉 Want more picks? Check out our latest college basketball picks and the rest of our March Madness second-round predictions.
🏆 Best Tennessee vs. UCLA pick, player prop bet & score prediction
Our NEW college basketball player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds for any March Madness market across legal sportsbooks in your area!
✅ Tennessee to cover the spread: -4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Although UCLA’s 25-point win over Utah State in the first round may convince some bettors that the Bruins are a value getting 4.5 points on Saturday night, I’m not taking too much away from that result.
Utah State was the worst at-large team in the NCAA Tournament field according to the KenPom rankings. Tennessee will present a vastly different challenge.
The Vols rank third in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. With an adjusted offensive efficiency outside the top 30, UCLA could struggle to crack the stifling defense that Tennessee can be expected to deploy. If anything, UCLA profiles metrically as a similar but lesser version of the Vols.
Only one of Tennessee’s last eight wins came by a margin smaller than this 4.5-point spread.
📊 Best odds: -110 via BetMGM ($10 to win $9.09)
Bonus bets will expire in 7 days. One new customer offer only. Additional terms and conditions apply.
🔥 Zakai Zeigler Over 6.5 assists ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Zeigler has the experience to carry Tennessee into the second weekend by spreading the basketball around and putting his teammates in position to score. He’s a threat on Saturday against a UCLA team that ranks outside the top 100 in assists allowed per game.
The Bruins have allowed 14.0 assists per game over their last three contests.
Zeigler racked up a dozen assists in the Volunteers’ tournament-opening win over Wofford and has averaged 7.5 assists per game this season. That ranks fifth in the nation. This is a line that Zeigler has cleared 23 times on the year.
📊 Best odds: -130 via bet365 ($10 to win $7.69)
*Deposit required. Mobile app only. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
🎯 Exact score prediction: Tennessee 68, UCLA 62
UCLA has played a number of games in the 60s in recent weeks, so it’s not unusual for the Bruins to find themselves in lower-scoring games. Their adjusted tempo outside the top 300 could contribute to a rock fight on Saturday.
We know Tennessee doesn’t mind it either, as the Vols play at a slow pace with one of the best-adjusted defensive efficiencies in the nation. After holding Wofford to 62 points in their opening game, I see the Volunteers pinning UCLA to the same number in a tight contest as Tennessee manages to cover the spread at the free-throw line.
The Vols are shooting 80.2% from the line over their past three games.
📊 Best odds: +23000 via FanDuel ($10 to win $2,300)
New customers only. Deposit min. $5. Place first bet of $5+ and win $250 in Bonus Bets, if your bet wins. (within 72 hours).
🤖 Tennessee vs. UCLA AI prediction
For entertainment purposes, we asked ChatGPT to analyze historical trends and live NCAA Tournament stats before predicting the winner and exact score for Tennessee vs. UCLA. Our AI prediction projects a final score of Tennessee 72, UCLA 66.
🖥️ AI score prediction: Tennessee 72, UCLA 66
- Chaz Lanier’s Veteran Poise: The fifth-year senior, fresh off a 29-point performance, is Tennessee’s go-to scorer. His experience and shot-making ability will be pivotal against UCLA’s defense
- Aday Mara’s Rim Protection: The 7’2” center is a defensive anchor for UCLA. His shot-blocking and rebounding will challenge Tennessee’s slashing guards, but the Bruins’ lack of scoring depth could be exposed
- Tempo Control Favors Tennessee: The Vols’ strong half-court defense and methodical pace will slow down UCLA’s transition game. Tennessee’s physicality on the boards should limit second-chance opportunities
🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI prediction would mean Tennessee covering the spread (-4.5) and a total of Over 131.5 points. ChatGPT is not a dedicated sports betting model, but it can identify data that March Madness bettors might overlook.
📊 Live Tennessee vs. UCLA odds
Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the second round.
Latest Tennessee vs. UCLA odds
Here are the latest Tennessee vs. UCLA odds from BetMGM for tonight's Midwest Region matchup:
Spread
Tennessee is a 5.5-point betting favorite but the UCLA +5.5 side of the line is slightly favored with -115 odds.
Total
The Over/Under for Tennessee vs. UCLA is down a point from the opening line to 131.5. The Under is very lightly juiced to -115.
Moneyline
Tennessee is a -230 moneyline favorite with an implied win probability of 70% for the outright victory.
🔢 Tennessee vs. UCLA opening odds
- Spread: Tennessee -4.5 (-110) | UCLA +4.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Tennessee -200 | UCLA +165
- Over/Under: Over 132.5 (-105) | Under 132.5 (-115)
📺 How to watch Tennessee vs. UCLA: NCAA Tournament second round
📅 Date: Saturday, March 22
🕗 Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Rupp Arena (Lexington, Ky.)
📺 TV: TBS
💻 Streaming: March Madness Live
🏀 Best March Madness odds, predictions & expert picks today
Here are our best March Madness picks for Saturday's second-round action:
- March Madness odds & schedule today
- March Madness survivor pool picks today
- March Madness predictions today
- Best March Madness player props today
- March Madness upset picks today
🔮 March Madness predictions for every game today
- Purdue vs. McNeese prediction
- St. John's vs. Arkansas prediction
- Texas A&M vs. Michigan prediction
- Texas Tech vs. Drake prediction
- Auburn vs. Creighton prediction
- Wisconsin vs. BYU prediction
- Houston vs. Gonzaga prediction
- Tennessee vs. UCLA prediction
💰 March Madness betting odds pages
| March Madness odds | March Madness MVP odds |
| Women's March Madness odds | March Madness MVP predictions |
| Final Four odds | March Madness prop bets |
👑 Best March Madness betting sites
Ready to place your March Madness bets? Check out the best March Madness betting promos from the best March Madness betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review.
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission
Related Articles
