Tennessee vs Illinois College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for Dec. 6

The Illinois Fighting Illini (6-2) take on the Tennessee Volunteers (7-2) at Bridgestone Arena on December 6, 2025.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Tennessee vs. Illinois Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Saturday, December 6, 2025
• Game time: 8 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ESPN
• Location: Nashville, Tennessee
• Arena: Bridgestone Arena

Tennessee vs. Illinois Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Tennessee win (60.3%)

Tennessee is a 1.5-point favorite against Illinois on Saturday and the over/under is set at 151.5 points. Here's a few betting trends and insights before making an informed wager on the game.

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Tennessee vs. Illinois: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Tennessee is 3-6-0 ATS this season.
• Illinois has compiled a 4-4-0 record against the spread this season.
• Tennessee covers the spread when it is a 1.5-point favorite or more 25% of the time. That's more often than Illinois covers as an underdog of 1.5 or more (never covered this season).
• Against the spread last season, the Volunteers fared better when playing at home, covering nine times in 17 home games, and five times in 11 road games.
• In 2024-25 against the spread, the Fighting Illini had a better winning percentage at home (.588, 10-7-0 record) than away (.500, 5-5-0).

Tennessee vs. Illinois: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Tennessee has been the moneyline favorite in six games this season and has come away with the win four times (66.7%) in those contests.
• The Volunteers have a win-loss record of 4-2 when favored by -128 or better by bookmakers this year.
• Illinois has been listed as the moneyline underdog just one other time so far this season, a game it lost.
• The Fighting Illini have played as a moneyline underdog of +106 or longer in only one game this season, which they lost.
• Oddsmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that Tennessee has a 56.1% chance of pulling out a win.

Tennessee vs. Illinois Head-to-Head Comparison

• Tennessee is outscoring opponents by 18.0 points per game with a +162 scoring differential overall. It puts up 83.0 points per game (92nd in college basketball) and gives up 65.0 per contest (25th in college basketball).
• Ja'Kobi Gillespie paces Tennessee, scoring 17.6 points per game (106th in the country).
• Illinois has a +161 scoring differential, topping opponents by 20.1 points per game. It is putting up 90.4 points per game, 22nd in college basketball, and is allowing 70.3 per outing to rank 120th in college basketball.
• Kylan Boswell paces Illinois, scoring 17.3 points per game (122nd in college basketball).
• The Volunteers rank 12th in the country at 40.2 rebounds per game. That's 14.1 more than the 26.1 their opponents average.
• Nate Ament leads the Volunteers with 7.4 rebounds per game (124th in college basketball play).
• The Fighting Illini come out on top in the rebound battle by an average of 14.3 boards. They are grabbing 41.8 rebounds per game (fifth in college basketball) compared to their opponents' 27.5.
• David Mirkovic is 22nd in college basketball with 10.0 rebounds per game, leading the Fighting Illini.
• Tennessee's 102.2 points per 100 possessions on offense rank 102nd in college basketball, and the 80.1 points it allows per 100 possessions rank 17th in college basketball.
• The Fighting Illini put up 110.4 points per 100 possessions (20th in college basketball), while giving up 85.8 points per 100 possessions (80th in college basketball).

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