Tennessee vs Houston Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats for 2025 March Madness Elite 8
The Volunteers took the court Friday night against the Kentucky Wildcats. It was their third meeting of the season with Kentucky having claimed the first two. Tennessee, however, controlled this game from the opening tap and rolled to a 78-65 win. Zakai Zeigler led the way for the Vols with 18 points and 10 assists.
Houston faced a stern test from Purdue Friday night winning 62-60 on a last second driving layup from Milos Uzan. The Boilermakers rallied in the final minutes from a five-point deficit to tie it with under three seconds to play only to see Uzan score two of his game-high 22 points to secure the win for the Cougars.
Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two.
We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Game details & how to watch Tennessee vs. Houston
Date: Sunday, March 30, 2025
Time: 2:20PM EST
Site: Lucas Oil Stadium
City: Indianapolis, IN
Network/Streaming: CBS
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates.
Game odds for Tennessee vs. Houston
The latest odds as of Saturday courtesy of BetMGM:
Odds: Tennessee Volunteers (+150), Houston Cougars (-185)
Spread: Cougars -3.5
Total: 123.5 points
Expert picks & predictions for Tennessee vs. Houston
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Sunday's Volunteers & Cougars game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on Houston -3.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 123.5.
Tennessee vs. Houston: Top betting trends and recent stats
The Vols have covered the spread as 5-point favorites in each of their last 2 games
The Vols are just 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games
The Cougars are 4-4-2 ATS in their last 10 games after not covering the 8.5-point spread in Friday's game against Purdue
If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on NBCSports.com!
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
· Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
· Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
· Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
· Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
34 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Roman Anthony and the Red Sox walk off the Astros for third-straight win
But Criswell matched Brown, and the Red Sox' batters took care of the rest, thrilling the sellout crowd of 36,881 at Fenway Park. Anthony batted with runners on the corners and no outs in the bottom of the 10th. When Sousa offered a 96-mile-per-hour fastball over the heart of the plate, Anthony walloped it over the head of center fielder Chas McCormick for the first walk off of his career. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Advertisement The Red Sox are 60-51. The Astros are 62-48. First baseman Abraham Toro, playing the position that mostly clearly could have used an upgrade prior to the trade deadline Thursday, finished 0-for-3 as the No. 4 hitter. It was just the third time this season and first time in more than a month that Toro batted in that spot. 'There's a reason he's in there,' manager Alex Cora said before the game. 'It's not to hit a grand slam. Hopefully he does, but with the guy that we're facing, it makes sense for him to hit there.' Advertisement Toro wound up faring poorly against Brown. He popped out to strand a runner on first in the first inning, struck out on a knuckle-curve in the dirt in the fourth, and flied out on the first pitch he saw in the sixth, leaving Jarren Duran on second. In his first major league start of the season — after making 18 last year and spending most of this season with Triple A Worcester — Criswell cruised for seven innings, allowing one run, seven hits, and two walks. Christian Walker tagged Criswell for a home run in the second inning, but Criswell, in what is expected to be a one-off spot start that resulted from the Red Sox wanting to give ace Garrett Crochet extra rest, did well to hold the Astros down from there. Aiding Criswell's effort: three Houston outs on the bases. Jesús Sánchez and Jose Altuve each committed a baserunning blunder, and Cam Smith was doubled off first base after right fielder Wilyer Abreu made an impressive running catch. Additionally, Altuve grounded into a double play, erasing Jeremy Peña, who led off the game with a single. The Sox, meanwhile, were stifled by righthander Hunter Brown, who didn't crack until the seventh inning. His only run allowed came after a walk (Trevor Story) and hit by pitch (Masataka Yoshida), then a sacrifice bunt by Carlos Narváez. Wilyer Abreu's sacrifice fly to left was enough to scratch across the Sox' first run. The Astros arrived at Fenway Park looking much different than they had in the past but in pretty much the same spot: atop the AL West. Even without longtime lineup staples Alex Bregman, who signed with the Red Sox in February, and Kyle Tucker, who was traded to the Cubs in December, Houston has remained a force in pursuit of what would be a fifth consecutive division title (and eighth in nine years). Advertisement 'They pitch. They've been pitching for a while. Similar to Tampa, similar to Milwaukee,' said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, the Astros' bench coach in 2017. 'Very proud of [manager] Joe [Espada], what he's done this year with the group that he has. They pitch, man. When you pitch at this level, you have a shot. That's the reason they always have a shot.' Tim Healey can be reached at
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
The Astros — bold, decisive, interesting — are the team the Red Sox used to be: Kepner
BOSTON – In the climactic scene of 'The Fabelmans,' the character that serves as an avatar for a young Steven Spielberg meets the director John Ford at his Hollywood office. Describing the artwork on his wall, Ford shares an essential lesson of storytelling: 'Now remember this,' he growls. 'When the horizon's at the bottom, it's interesting! When the horizon's at the top, it's interesting! When the horizon's in the middle, it's boring as [expletive]!' Advertisement Once upon a time, the Boston Red Sox were interesting. Sometimes they won the World Series. Sometimes their egos got in the way of that. But they always acted boldly and decisively. They swung big. The Houston Astros are the franchise the Red Sox used to be. They've gone to four World Series in the last decade, burning through a few managers and general managers along the way. Controversies? They've had a few. But they're always loaded with stars, and when they lose some, they find others. On Thursday, they found one in the alumni directory: Carlos Correa, the prodigal shortstop who returned in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. Correa was back in orange on Friday, hitting cleanup and making his career debut at third base. He wore his old No. 1, which also describes Houston's place in the American League West. 'It's a really happy environment right now,' said Bryan Abreu, the Astros' star setup man. 'We feel like we're starting the season again.' Like Justin Verlander before him, Correa left as a free agent and came back before his contract was over. Owner Jim Crane sometimes spends rashly — José Abreu, Rafael Montero — but he keeps the bedroom just the way you left it. 'The front office and the coaching staff, they do a really good job of developing players and getting the right people here,' Correa said before batting practice Friday, in the visitors' dugout at Fenway Park. 'And they just know how to win. It's only one mentality in this clubhouse, and that's to win — all the way.' As the old ditty from 'Ball Four' goes, it makes a fellow proud to be an Astro. Correa was fully engaged with the Twins while he played there, but kept his home in Houston and maintained good relations with the Astros. With Minnesota tearing down its roster amid a franchise sale, Correa eagerly approved a trade to the team that rebuilt around him in the 2010s. It was the only other place he could see himself. Advertisement 'You never want to burn bridges in this game,' Correa said. 'You never know how things are going to end up panning out. And even after baseball, when you need a job, front office or whatever, you don't want to ever burn any bridges. My relationship in Minnesota — fantastic with everybody. Same here in Houston when I left. And now you see that I'm back.' That's one way Houston differs from Boston — when a Red Sox player leaves, it's often with knives in his back. In the old days, though, the Red Sox would shrug it off, replace a Pedro Martínez with a Josh Beckett, and win another World Series. These are not the old days. These are the boring days — not the players or the games, but the organizational ethos. The Red Sox seem to believe they can build a winner without taking risks, a trait they exhibit every offseason and trade deadline. This week, Craig Breslow and his staff did the least of any American League contender to upgrade their roster. The Red Sox traded with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dustin May, a rental righty with a 5.95 ERA in his last eight starts, and with the St. Louis Cardinals for Steven Matz, a rental lefty with a 6.19 ERA in his last 12 appearances. Boston started the day 59-51, good for the second wild-card spot, two games ahead of Texas. May and Matz should make the team a little bit better. Joe Ryan would have made the team a lot better. There is work to do. 'When you look at the Green Monster, we're in third place, five games back,' Manager Alex Cora said, referring to the AL standings on the wall. 'So we feel like we can compete with anybody, and we've got a real shot to win the division.' The Red Sox haven't done that since 2018, when they took their third consecutive division crown under Dave Dombrowski and raced to their fourth World Series victory of the century. Within a year, though, they had fired Dombrowski and Mookie Betts had played his final game for the team. Advertisement Betts' trade to the Dodgers — under Chaim Bloom in 2020 — was this century's Babe Ruth sale. For a better example of trading a superstar, consider the Astros' GM Dana Brown, who dealt Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs last winter for an All-Star third baseman (Isaac Paredes), a promising rookie outfielder (Cam Smith) and a starter who made the season-opening rotation (Hayden Wesneski) before getting hurt. With a hamstring injury threatening Paredes' season, the Astros pivoted to Correa, assuming $73.2 million of the $103.2 million left on his contract through 2028. Minnesota will cover the other $30 million and took a token minor leaguer (pitcher Matt Mikulski) in return. It's a risk, to be sure, given Correa's health history — he has played in 140+ games in just two of his 11 major-league seasons — and performance for the Twins this year: .267/.319/.386, which he attributed to difficulty adjusting to new coaches. But Correa is only 30, and nobody knows him better than the Astros. They took the chance. 'He's a great leader, man,' Jose Altuve said. 'He's a guy that definitely makes your clubhouse better. We all know how passionate he is about baseball, how smart he is, and how he can affect other players and make them better.' This was an apt setting for a Correa reunion, the spot where he and Altuve turned around the 2021 ALCS. With the Red Sox six outs from taking a three-games-to-one lead, Altuve tied Game 4 with a homer and Correa led off the ninth with a double to spark a seven-run rally. The Red Sox never led again and lost the series in six. Houston would lose that fall's World Series, but won the next year without Correa. His replacement, Jeremy Peña, was the MVP. Now that they are teammates, Correa sounded relieved to let Peña stay at short. New position, no problem. 'He'll be awesome, he'll be great,' said Alex Bregman, the longtime Houston third baseman who now anchors Boston's lineup. 'Obviously, he's got a Platinum Glove, so he's always been one of the best defenders in the league. We always used to say if he caught the ball, the guy was out because of the big-time arm.' Advertisement The Red Sox signed Bregman to a typically risk-averse contract last winter: three years and $120 million, with an opt-out clause after 2025. They also made one-year deals with Walker Buehler and Aroldis Chapman to go with an actual long-term commitment: a trade for starter Garrett Crochet, who signed a six-year, $170 million contract. Crochet's deal is the richest on the team after June's trade of Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Perhaps the Red Sox will redirect Devers' money to Bregman this winter. But Bregman turns 32 in March, and data models rarely endorse the idea of long-term contracts at that age. Maybe the Red Sox will grow tired of austerity, of one-year contracts and painless trades for fixer-uppers, of waiting for a homegrown core to spark a renaissance. Or maybe this group makes a deep playoff run, validates the front office's approach and makes all the critics look foolish. But these days, it sure seems like a lot more fun to follow the Astros. 'The credit goes to our players,' Manager Joe Espada said. 'If you put your team in a position to add, you're welcoming players today in your clubhouse. If you don't put your team in a position to add, you're saying goodbye to a lot of your teammates.' Either way is interesting. In Boston, the horizon's in the middle. (Photo of Houston's Carlos Correa and Boston's Carlos Narvaez: Charles Krupa / AP Photo)
CBS News
34 minutes ago
- CBS News
Roman Anthony's walk-off single lifts Red Sox over Astros 2-1 in 10 innings
By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer Roman Anthony lined a fly ball over drawn-in center fielder Chas McCormick's head to score the automatic runner from third, and the Boston Red Sox rallied in the 10th inning to beat the new-look Houston Astros 2-1 on Friday night. Boston trailed 1-0 on Christian Walker's second-inning home run before tying it in the seventh on Wilyer Abreu's sacrifice fly. With Abreu starting the bottom of the 10th on second base, Ceddanne Rafaela tried unsuccessfully to bunt him to third before swinging away -- and hitting the ball just a few feet in front of the plate. Catcher Yanier Diaz tried to get Abreu at third, but his throw was late. Anthony lined a 2-2 pitch to center. McCormick ran after it and it flew just beyond his glove for what was scored as a walk-off single. Greg Weissert (4-3) pitched a perfect 10th for the win as the Red Sox won for the fifth time in six games to reach a season-high nine games above .500. Bennett Sousa (5-1) failed to get an out in picking up his first career loss. Christian Walker homered, Hunter Brown took a shutout into the seventh inning and Jeremy Peña had three hits for Houston. Trade deadline acquisition Jesús Sánchez had two hits and Carlos Correa went hitless in his return to the team that picked him No. 1 overall in 2012 and re-acquired on Thursday the AL West-leading Astros loaded up in their quest for a ninth straight postseason appearance. In the top of the 10th, the Astros had a runner on third with one out when Mauricio Dubón hit a grounder to short and Trevor Story threw home to keep the go-ahead run from scoring. Bregman, who played his first nine years in Houston, singled in each of his first two career at-bats against the Astros. Red Sox RHP Walker Buehler (6-6) will face Astros LHP Colton Gordon (4-3) on Saturday.
