The first day of the Second Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament concludes with a battle between a pair of blue blood programs in the Tennessee Volunteers and UCLA Bruins. The winner will get a taste of the Sweet Sixteen, going up against either the Kentucky Wildcats or the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Neither team faced a great deal of resistance on Thursday. For Tennessee, the expected result was a crushing of the Wofford Terriers. The Vols never fully shook Wofford, but they were never in much danger either, cruising to a 77-62 victory. Chaz Lanier was good as ever in his NCAA Tournament debut, scoring 29 points.
Based on the seeding, UCLA was expected to face a stiffer challenge against Utah State. That did not happen. The Bruins dominated wire-to-wire, crushing the Aggies 72-47. It was the kind of performance that could give Mick Cronin's squad some fresh confidence.
How to watch Tennessee vs. UCLA
- Date: Saturday, March 22
- Time: 9:40pm ET
- Venue: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
- How to Watch (TV): TBS/truTV
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Tennessee record: 28-7
- UCLA record: 23-10
Tennessee vs. UCLA odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Tennessee -225
- UCLA +184
Spread
- Tennessee -5.5 (-105)
- UCLA +5.5 (-115)
Total
- 131.5 (over -115/under -105)
Tennessee injury report
- J.P. Estrella, F: Out (foot)
UCLA injury report
- Christian Horry, G: Questionable (undisclosed)
- Evan Manjikian, F: Questionable (arm)
Tennessee and UCLA series history
- Tennessee all-time record vs. UCLA: 0-1
Tennessee vs. UCLA prediction
The Vols have never beaten the Bruins, but consiering they only played once - 48 years ago - it can be forgiven. Tennessee did beat UCLA in terms of retaining Rick Barnes' services when the Bruins ultimately hired Mick Cronin several years ago, something both coach and Knoxville are probably grateful for to this day.
Both teams are among the better defensive squads in the country. Tennessee is particularly strong, ranking third in defensive rating according to KenPom, only behind St. John's and Houston. UCLA is no slouch either, though, ranking in the top 15 in the nation by the same metric.
With two great defenses, the question becomes about which offense can step up enough. Tennessee is elite on that end too, ranking in the top 20 in KenPom's offensive rating metric. There's some distance there with UCLA, which only ranks 35th.
For the Bruins, there's no elite offensive talent to attack with. Their leading scorer, Tyler Bilodeau, averages just 13.5 points per game. Their leading distributor, Dylan Andrews, dishes 3.5 assists per game. Even in a dominant win over the Aggies, no Bruins scored more than 14 points.
On the other side, there's plenty of explosiveness to be found. First, there's Lanier, who showed no fear in his maiden NCAA Tournament game. The North Florida transfer has no issue pulling up from three on any possession and for good reason, knocking down more than 40 percent of his attempts. He's scored at least 29 points on three separate occasions this year and averages 18 points per game.
Zakai Zeigler, meanwhile, is the steady hand that guides the ship. He averages 13.7 points and 5.5 assists per game, the latter ranking fifth in the nation. He posted a double-double against Wofford with 12 points and 12 assists.
UCLA has punched above its weight for much of the season, but they're about to run up against a talent disparity they can't overcome.
Prediction: Tennessee 70, UCLA 58