Tennessee basketball opened as 1.5-point favorites against Virginia for the Round of 32 matchup according to the DKSportsbook. The over/under is set at 137.5. KenPom predicts Tennessee to earn a 70-69 win.
The Vols are 15-19 against the spread this season while the Cavaliers are 18-17 against the spread during the 2025-26 season.
Virginia is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2024. The Cavaliers survived a scare against Wright State 82-73 in the opening round of the tournament on Friday afternoon. Virginia trailed at halftime and for much of the second half before Jacari White’s 26 points propelled the Cavaliers past the Raiders.
Ryan Odom is in his first season as Virginia’s head coach, leading the Cavaliers to a 30-5 (15-3 ACC) record. They played a relatively soft non conference schedule, dropping just one game.
Virginia lost its ACC opener at Virginia Tech on New Years Eve. Since then, Virginia has lost just three games— two against Duke and one against North Carolina. The Cavaliers have faced three teams that Tennessee has this season, beating Texas, Louisville and Virginia.
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Tennessee is back in the Round of 32 for a fifth straight year after dominating Miami (Ohio) 78-56 on Friday evening. The Vols played one of their best halves of the season, jumping out to a 51-32 halftime lead and then cruised from there.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie was brilliant in the win, totaling 29 points, nine assists and three steals. JP Estrella added 14 points and 10 rebounds while Felix Okpara scorer 12 points.
With the win, Tennessee is now 23-11 (11-7 SEC) on the season. The Vols are looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for a fourth straight season which would extend the program record. It’s not the first time these two teams have met under these circumstances. Five-seed Tennessee defeated four-seed Virginia 77-74 in the Round of 32 of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
Tipoff between Tennessee and Virginia is at 6:10 p.m. ET on Saturday evening. Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas and Evan Washburn are on the call for TNT.
