In the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the UCLA Bruins will take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Midwest Region action. Both teams enjoyed wins with comfortable margins in the opening round of this tournament. How they respond when things get tougher in the second round will determine which team advances past this UCLA vs Tennessee showdown in Lexington, KY.
The latest odds from bet365 have the Volunteers as 5.5-point favorites. They have set the total at 128.5 points. For a full breakdown of this matchup between two iconic college basketball programs, including our top betting prediction for the game, continue reading our preview of this contest below.
UCLA Looks For Signature Win At Rupp Arena
UCLA was dominant in the first round of this tournament, beating up on Utah State of the Mountain West Conference. The Bruins held the Aggies under 30 points in the first half, using their superb defense to build an insurmountable lead in that game. UCLA’s defense is likely in for more of a challenge in this contest against a Tennessee team that can hurt you in a number of ways with its offense.
Three-point shooting for UCLA will be something to watch in this battle of power-conference foes. The Bruins made nine of their first 20 attempts from beyond the arc on Thursday night against Utah State. If they can be efficient from the outside in this matchup, the Bruins could hang around and give themselves a chance to make the tournament’s second weekend.
Lanier, Tennessee Prepare For Second-Round Showdown
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Tennessee Volunteers beat the Wofford Terriers 77-62. The Vols were led by Chaz Lanier in that game, who had 29 points to lead all scorers in a game that was never all that close in the second-half of play. In this contest, Lanier’s contributions will be vital as the Volunteers prepare for a tougher test than what Wofford was capable of giving them in round one.
Keeping turnovers to a minimum will be a major key in determining whether or not Tennessee advances to the Sweet 16. Rick Barnes’ team turned the ball over just six times in their win over Wofford. While they will be expected to have more trouble keeping the ball than that against a Big Ten opponent, keeping that number in single digits would be massive for the two-seed in the Midwest Region.
UCLA vs Tennessee Prediction
Tennessee -5.5 (-110) over UCLA
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- UCLA looked good in the first round but they are playing a much tougher opponent here in the second round.
- Tennessee’s defense should give them the upper hand in this matchup against a UCLA team that is far less consistent on that end of the floor.
