Tennessee vs. Kentucky Dunkel Predictions & Vegas Odds - Jan. 17

The No. 24 Tennessee Volunteers (12-5, 2-2 SEC) hit the court against the Kentucky Wildcats (11-6, 2-2 SEC) as 5.5-point favorites on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN. The matchup has an over/under of 147.5.

In its most recent outing on Tuesday, Tennessee claimed an 87-82 OT victory against Texas A&M. Nate Ament scored a team-high 23 points for Tennessee in the win. Kentucky is coming off of a 75-74 win over LSU in its most recent outing on Wednesday. Otega Oweh scored 21 points in Kentucky's victory, leading the team.

Tennessee vs. Kentucky Odds and Game Time

• When: Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 12 p.m. ET
• Where: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee
• Spread favorite: Tennessee -5.5
• Moneyline favorite: Tennessee -266
• Moneyline underdog: Kentucky +215
• Over/Under: 147.5 points

How to watch Tennessee vs. Kentucky

• TV Channel: ESPN
• Live Stream: Fubo
• Check out the rest of our Dunkel Index NCAA Basketball Picks!

Betting the Over/Under: Tennessee vs. Kentucky

• A total of 11 of Tennessee's games this season have gone over Saturday's over/under of 147.5 points.
• This season, 11 of Kentucky's games have finished with a combined score higher than 147.5 points.
• The point total for the matchup of 147.5 is 18.2 points fewer than the combined points per game averages for the Volunteers (82.6 points per game) and the Wildcats (83.1 points per game).
• This game's total is 9.7 fewer points than the 137.8 these two teams combine to allow per game in 2024.
• Tennessee has seen a 150.8 average over/under in its games this season, 3.3 points more than the over/under in this contest.
• A difference of 5.3 points separates the average over/under in Kentucky's games (152.8 points) and this matchup's over/under (147.5).

Betting the Spread: Tennessee vs. Kentucky

• Tennessee has played 17 games, with six wins against the spread.
• The Volunteers have an against the spread record of 4-8 in their 12 games when favored by 5.5 points or more so far this season.
• Against the spread, Kentucky is 7-10-0 this year.
• The Wildcats have yet to cover the spread this year when underdogs by 5.5 points or more.
• Tennessee is 4-6 against the spread, and 10-0 overall, at home this year.
• This season, as a 5.5-point favorite or greater at home, Tennessee is 3-6 ATS.
• Kentucky is 1-2 overall, and winless against the spread, in away games.

Betting the Moneyline: Tennessee vs. Kentucky

• This season, Tennessee has won 11 out of the 14 games, or 78.6%, in which it has been the moneyline favorite.
• The Volunteers have a record of 10-1 in games where oddsmakers favor them by at least -266 on the moneyline.
• Sportsbooks have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that Tennessee has a 72.7% chance to win.
• Kentucky has been moneyline underdogs in three games this season, however, it has failed to come away with a win in any of those games.
• Oddsmakers have given the Wildcats the worst odds of winning they have seen this season with a +215 moneyline listed for this contest.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Kentucky has a 31.7% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.