The Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Nashville, TN. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Tennessee is favored by -2 points on the spread with a moneyline of -139. The total is set at 150.5 points.
Here’s my Illinois vs. Tennessee predictions and college basketball picks for December 6, 2025.
Illinois vs Tennessee Prediction
My Pick: Tennessee -2 (Play to -4.5)
My Illinois vs Tennessee best bet is on the Volunteers spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Illinois vs. Tennessee Odds
| Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2 -110 | 150.5 -111o / -111u | +117 |
| Tennessee Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2 -110 | 150.5 -111o / -111u | -139 |
- Illinois vs Tennessee spread: Tennessee -2
- Illinois vs Tennessee over/under: 150.5 points
- Illinois vs Tennessee moneyline: Illinois +117, Tennessee -139
Illinois vs Tennessee College Basketball Betting Preview
Illinois Basketball
Illinois tested itself in the non-conference, playing Texas Tech, Alabama and UConn before meeting the Vols. It went 1-2 in those three games, beating Texas Tech and losing to Bama and UConn.
Will the Fighting Illini fool us again? They're an analytical darling like a season ago. When you can overwhelm mid-major teams in buy games, it'll result in a healthy boost in the analytics.
Unless Illinois can begin shooting better from deep, I'm out until further notice. It attempts 3s on 44% of their field goals and connects on just 32%. The only starter shooting better than 33% from downtown is stud center Tomislav Ivisic. He's shooting 39% from deep.
The path to Illinois improving its shooting starts and ends with Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell. Boswell is shooting just 31% from deep, and Stojakovic is at 26%. Perhaps Boswell can shoot better, but Stojakovic is a lot more of a driver and inside scorer than a shooter.
In times of need, Stojakovic has been able to create offense by posting up and finding angles to score inside. He scored 20+ in the Bama and Tech games, but scored just three on 1-of-7 shooting versus UConn.
He'll likely have to score against Tennessee's ace defender, Bishop Boswell, which won't be an easy task.
Another thing to watch is how the Illinois bigs fare versus the physical Tennessee bigs. Alabama and UConn gave the Illinois bigs fits with their physical play and toughness. If they struggled in those games, facing Tennessee will be a nightmare.
Tennessee Basketball
Tennessee was passing the vibe check with flying colors after beating Houston in Vegas. Then, the Vols dropped back-to-back contests to Kansas and a road loss to Syracuse.
The Vols got a rough performance from standout guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie in their last two games. He scored a combined 21 points in his last two games and scored 22 in the win over Houston. He's such a key part of Tennessee's attack and has to be the top option.
Shockingly, Tennessee hasn't been as good as you'd think defensively. It ranks 21st in defensive efficiency, per Bart Torvik, when you eliminate preseason bias. That's not bad, but you'd expect more from them.
I expect that number to greatly improve, as Tennessee is top-40 in 2-point and 3-point field goal defense. The issue has been sending teams to the line, ranking 132nd in defensive free-throw rate.
Tennessee has a ton of interior depth, and that shows with its elite 44% offensive rebound rate. The Vols could be without JP Estrella, who got hurt in the Kansas game.
Even if Estrella is out, Tennessee has four other forwards who averaged 4+ rpg, led by Nate Ament with 7 rpg. The wild part? Ament plays the three, and he's 6-foot-10. He adds a different element to this Vols attack with his size advantage on the wing.
The real key for Tennessee is shooting the ball better. Ament and Gillespie are both shooting 33% from 3, and those two do most of the offensive heavy lifting.
Illinois vs. Tennessee Betting Analysis
I'm backing the Vols here up to -4.5. It's the perfect spot to get back on the Vols' train. Sure, Syracuse beat them, but that's a very hungry and tough Tennessee squad that nearly beat Houston in Vegas. The same applies to the Kansas game; they're another team that can match the Vols' physicality.
Illinois isn't a team that can handle a 40-minute wrestling match with Tennessee. Unless the Illini have an outlier shooting night, this is the Vols game to lose.
My Pick: Tennessee -2 (Play to -4.5)
