The Kentucky Wildcats continue to underwhelm gamblers in their second season under head coach Mark Pope. Most important of all, Kentucky under Pope has not been a good value with the College Basketball odds. Last season, Pope arrived from BYU after John Calipari bolted one step ahead of the Big Blue posse for Arkansas. Pope is a Kentucky alum and former player. Thus, he understands the passion and pressure that come with being the Wildcats’ head basketball coach. On Saturday, Kentucky has a difficult road game against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Head coach Rick Barnes has two SEC regular-season and one tournament championship. But the NCAA Tournament has not quite been what Big Orange fans hope for. Tennessee is coming off two Elite Eight finishes, but fans and gamblers wonder if that is as far as it will go.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers NCAAB Betting Information
| Date and Time: | Saturday, January 17, 2026, Noon ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Food City Center, Knoxville, TN |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN |
| Betting Online Odds at SBG: | Click Here |
Kentucky at Tennessee Betting Odds Analysis
Kentucky remains a powerful and legacy brand in college basketball. Thus, the Wildcats could get play from bargain hunters who don’t see much difference between the Wildcats and Volunteers. Meanwhile, Tennessee is a respected brand too, especially at home.
Kentucky Wildcats Team Overview
The Kentucky Wildcats are 10-6 straight up, 7-9 against the spread, and 7-9 over/under the online betting total. Late on, Kentucky has covered three out of its last six games. While the Wildcats have gone under the total in four of their previous six matchups.
Kentucky has NCAABB metrics of 99th for scoring offense, 52nd for field goal percentage, 203rd for 3-point field goal percentage, 121st for free throw percentage, and 73rd for offensive rebounding. In comparison on defense, the Wildcats have NCAABB metrics of 64th for scoring defense, 58th for field goal percentage permitted, 38th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 67th for defensive rebounding.
Tennessee Volunteers Team Overview
The Tennessee Volunteers are 12-5 straight up, 6-11 against the spread, and 11-6 over/under the college basketball total. Late on, Tennessee has covered two out of its last five games. At the same time, the Volunteers have gone over the total in five of their previous five matchups.
Tennessee has NCAABB metrics of 114th in scoring offense, 53rd in field goal percentage, 153rd in 3-point field goal percentage, 276th in free throw percentage, and 9th in offensive rebounding. In comparison to defense, the Volunteers have NCAABB metrics of 43rd for scoring defense, 17th for field goal percentage permitted, 33rd for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 6th for defensive rebounding.
Kentucky at Tennessee Betting Trends
Kentucky failed to cover the spread in four of its last five away games. Six of the last eight Kentucky road games went over the total. In like manner, Tennessee covered the spread in five of its last 15 home games. The Volunteers went over the total in five of their most recent eight home games.
In the series between Tennessee and Kentucky, the Volunteers covered the spread in five of their last seven games with Kentucky. Seven of the last nine games between the Wildcats and Volunteers went under the total. Specifically, in Tennessee, Kentucky got the cash in five of its last six games against the Vols. The Volunteers and Wildcats went under the total in seven of their last nine meetings at Tennessee.
Kentucky at Tennessee SBG Free Picks
As mentioned earlier, Tennessee has not been a good home value against Kentucky. The Vols have been a poor overall value at home.
Kentucky at Tennessee SBG Best Bet: Kentucky Wildcats.