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The No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers have reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season, and they will try to advance to the Sweet 16 when they face the No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins on Saturday night. Tennessee cruised to a 77-62 win over No. 15 seed Wofford in the first round, giving the Vols a chance to reach the Sweet 16 for the third straight season under head coach Rick Barnes. UCLA won its first-round matchup against No. 10 seed Utah State in dominant fashion, notching a 72-47 win. The Bruins have reached the second round of the Big Dance four times in the last five seasons.   

The game from Rupp Arena in Lexington tips off at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET. The Volunteers are 5.5-point favorites in the latest Tennessee vs. UCLA odds from the SportsLine Consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 131.5. Before making any UCLA vs. Tennessee picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2025 NCAA Tournament on a 228-166 roll (+2025) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. This model has also produced brackets that have beaten over 91% of CBS Sports entries in four of the last six tournaments and nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Tennessee vs. UCLA and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for UCLA vs. Tennessee:

  • Tennessee vs. UCLA spread: Tennessee -5.5
  • Tennessee vs. UCLA over/under: 131.5 points 
  • Tennessee vs. UCLA money line: Tennessee -231, UCLA +190
  • TENN: 18-17 against the spread (ATS) this season 
  • UCLA: 19-13-1 ATS this season 
  • Tennessee vs. UCLA picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Tennessee can cover

Tennessee put together an impressive regular season in the toughest conference in the country, notching wins against teams like Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M. The Vols added a win over Auburn in the SEC Tournament semifinals before falling to the Gators in the title game. They opened the NCAA Tournament with a comfortable win over No. 15 seed Wofford, taking a 22-8 lead and never allowing Wofford to cut the lead to fewer than eight points the rest of the way.     

Senior guard Chaz Lanier poured in 29 points on 11 of 22 shooting, including a 6 of 13 mark from 3-point range. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler, who is the school's all-time assists leader, posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 assists. Lanier leads the Vols with 18.0 points per game, while Zeigler (13.7 ppg) and Jordan Gainey (11.3) are both double-digit scorers as well. See which team to pick here.

Why UCLA can cover 

UCLA suffered a four-game losing streak at the beginning of January, but it responded by winning 11 of its final 14 games to close the regular season. The Bruins are coming off one of the most impressive performances from the first day of the NCAA Tournament, crushing Utah State in a 72-47 final. They took a 39-27 lead into halftime and built a 20-point lead in the second half with a 17-7 surge early in the period. 

The Bruins shot 48% from the floor, knocking down 10 of 24 attempts from 3-point range. They had 22 assists on 26 made field-goal attempts, and eight of their 10 players scored. Their balance has been pivotal during their current 7-3 run against the spread. See which team to pick here.

How to make Tennessee vs. UCLA picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 139 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the model's picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Tennessee vs. UCLA, and which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the UCLA vs. Tennessee spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $2,000 on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.