Florida (29-4) vs Tennessee (27-6)
Game Info: Sunday, March 16, 2025 at 1:00 pm (Bridgestone Arena)
The Line: Betting Odds: Florida -4.5 — Over/Under: 142
The Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators meet Sunday in SEC Tournament college basketball action from Bridgestone Arena. Here’s a Tennessee vs Florida prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Tennessee vs Florida pick. We will examine:
The Tennessee Volunteers recent form and player performance
The Florida Gators recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Tennessee Volunteers
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Florida Gators
Recent betting trends in games played between Tennessee and Florida
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Tennessee vs Florida game
Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview
The Volunteers hd a pretty rough time in the record column back in January, but outside of that it’s been a fine season. Tennessee cruised through their first 14 games of the year on an undefeated clip. but then hit a rough patch with four losses in the next seven games. Those came versus Florida, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Kentucky. A 7-2 run came next with wins over Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, LSU and Alabama (with losses to Kentucky and Ole Miss otherwise). Since then it’s been wins over South Carolina, Texas and Auburn for Tennessee. That gives the Volunteers a 27-6 record across 33 games this year.
In the Saturday game versus Auburn, the Vols were down 33-32 going into the second half. Tennessee rallied from there however, bagging a 38-32 run the rest of the way during a 70-65 victory in the end. Tops in scoring was Zakai Zeigler with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. Chaz Lanier chipped in 12 points with four rebounds and one assist, while Jordan Gainey led the bench scoring on 15 points with five rebounds in 29 minutes of action.
Florida Gators Betting Preview
Over on the Florida side, they bagged wins in each of their first 13 outings, then fell to Kentucky and Missouri in the next four. The Gators would beat Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Oklahoma and LSU in the next 10 games before falling to Georgia. Florida has won five straight games since then, dispatching Texas A&M, Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri and Alabama again. In total that gives the Gators a 29-4 record across 33 games this year.
Matched up against Alabama in tournament action on Saturday, the Gators held a slim two-point lead at the break. Florida hit a 57-37 run from there though, eventually winning 104-82 in blowout fashion. Leading team scorer Walter Clayton posted 22 points with six assists and three steals in the victory.
Why the Florida Gators will win
- Florida has won each of its last six games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Tennessee has lost three of its last four games against Top 5 AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
- Tennessee has lost the first half in three of its last four games against AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
Why the Tennessee Volunteers will win
- Tennessee has won each of its last eight day games against the Southeastern Conference.
- Florida has lost the first half in four of its last five Conference Tournament day games at Bridgestone Arena.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Florida’s last 12 games have produced a total of 144+ points.
- Each of Tennessee’s last nine day games against Top 5 AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 142 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Florida ranks 5th among Division 1 teams for net rating this season (+23.3).
- Florida ranks 7th among Division 1 teams for field goal attempts per game this season (64.2).
- Tennessee ranks 7th among Division 1 teams for opponent points per game this season (61.9).
- Tennessee ranks 10th among Division 1 teams for opponent field goals made per game this season (21.5).
Tennessee vs Florida Prediction
I’m likely going to take a stab on Tennessee here. The Volunteers came on strong in the second half of their Saturday tournament win over Auburn, eventually posting a 35-27 rebounding advantage and holding the Tigers to a tepid 41.8 percent shooting from the field. Auburn didn’t do themselves any favors with a rough 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from the line, but the Volunteers took advantage there on 25-of-27 on three throws themselves. The turnovers (11 for 16 Tigers points) did get Tennessee into a bit of trouble, though. The Vols are scoring well these days with 70 or more points in five straight games—a 4-1 run.
These teams split the season series, with Florida winning at home 73-43 on January 7 and Tennessee bagging a home win 64-44 on February 1 to even things out. Florida shot a miserable 24.5 percent from the field in that second meeting and had 13 turnovers for nine Volunteers points. Tennessee didn’t perform great on offense themselves (40 percent shooting) but kept the Gators at bay with a 40-37 rebounding edge. Control of the boards, turnovers and foul shot opportunities are going to be huge here and I like it to be a close, competitive matchup most of the way.