Tennessee vs. Kentucky predictions, odds, spreads: 2026 college basketball picks Saturday, Jan. 17

SEC powers meet on Saturday as the No. 24 Tennessee Volunteers host the Kentucky Wildcats. Both teams had impressive wins during the week and look to turn the corner as the SEC heats up after starting 2-2 in the conference. Tennessee is 12-5 overall, while Kentucky is 11-6 on the season. The Wildcats swept the regular season series last year, but the Vols avenged that loss with a 78-65 win in the 2025 Sweet 16.

Tipoff is at noon ET from Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn. The Vols are a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Tennessee vs. Kentucky, while the over/under is 147.5, up two points from the opening line. Before making any Kentucky vs. Tennessee, check out men’s college basketball predictions and betting tips from the SportsLine Projection Model.

New users can point to the DraftKings promo codegiving $300 in bonus bets if your $5+ bet wins:

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times and enters Week 11 with an impressive 9-1 run in its top rated over/under picks in college basketball from last season. Anyone who followed his college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and betting apps could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model simulated Tennessee vs. Kentucky 10,000 times and recently revealed its men’s college basketball picks and betting predictions. You can head over to SportsLine now to see the model selection. Here are a few men’s college basketball odds and kentucky men’s college basketball betting lines vs. Tennessee:

New users can check the latest bet365 bonus code to get $200 in bonus bets after placing a $5 bet:

How to make a Tennessee vs. Kentucky

After the Tennessee vs. Kentucky times 10,000, the SportsLine model is pass total (147.5 points). Tennessee’s five-game shutout streak has wiped out the total, and Tennessee is 11-6 in the Over on the season. Three of the last five games for Tennessee vs. Kentucky led by at least 148 combined points.

The SportsLine model shows four players scoring in double figures with Ja’Kobi Gillespie (19.2 points) leading the way for Tennessee and Otega Oweh (17.2 points) leading the way for Kentucky. The teams combined for 154 points as the Over scored 71% of the time.

The model also states that one-sided spreads occur about 60% of the time. You can only see that selection on SportsLine.

So who wins Kentucky vs. Tennessee, and which side of the spread comes up about 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread goes back, all from a model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times, and find out.