The Players Era Festival continues on Tuesday with a slew of marquee matchups between some of the best teams in NCAA hoops. That includes a clash between the No. 3 Houston Cougars and the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers.
The Cougars clobbered the Volunteers in the Elite Eight last season, but my Tennessee vs. Houston predictions back the Vols today.
Here are my best free college basketball picks for this clash on November 25, with tipoff at 6:00 p.m. ET from the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Tennessee vs Houston prediction
Tennessee vs Houston best bet: Tennessee +3.5 (-110)
The Houston Cougars entered this season with the third-best national title odds, but they haven't played up to those expectations.
They began this season with a couple of wins against low-major schools, where they didn't come anywhere close to covering massive spreads. They barely beat the only two good teams they've faced, edging No. 21 Auburn 73-72 and getting pushed into overtime by unranked Syracuse last night.
That close victory against Cuse was particularly concerning since the Orange shot just 12-for-29 from the free throw line and were missing their best player in Donnie Freeman.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Volunteers throttled Rutgers 85-60 last night to improve to 6-0. This is the first test of the season for the Vols, but they have plenty of experience and depth, along with a massive front court.
They're led by Ja'Kobi Gillespie (19.2 ppg, 5.7 apg, 40.8 3PT%) and freshman Nate Ament, who is expected to be a Top 3 pick in the NBA Draft.
Ament has been fantastic on both ends of the floor, averaging 19.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. That's important for a Tennessee team that ranks 38th in the country in effective field goal percentage (57.1%) but also excels on defense.
While Tennessee's five-star freshman has impressed, Houston's trio of Top 20 recruits has disappointed, with the exception of Kingston Flemings (16.0 ppg, 5.3 apg). Isiah Harwell is averaging 4.8 ppg on 33.3% shooting, while Chris Cenac is an effective defender but hasn't made an impact on offense.
The Cougars don't have many shot-makers and sit outside the Top 150 in eFG% (50.9%). I'll back the underdogs with the better offense and the best player on the floor in Ament.
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Tennessee vs Houston same-game parlay
This total is extremely low, but the Under still makes sense given this matchup. The Vols have struggled with turnovers, and the Cougars have the No. 1 defense in the country per KenPom and apply a ton of pressure on ball-handlers.
Meanwhile, the Vols are third in the country in adjusted defense and have done a great job at taking away looks at the rim, forcing tough shots from the perimeter.
Since I expect the Vols to cover the full-game spread, let's also back them to cover the first-half spread to push this SGP to +390.
Tennessee vs Houston SGP
- Tennessee +3.5
- Under 133.5
- Tennessee first half +1.5
Tennessee vs Houston odds
- Spread: Tennessee +3.5 | Houston -3.5
- Moneyline: Tennessee +145 | Houston -170
- Over/Under: Over 133.5 | Under 133.5
Tennessee vs Houston betting trend to know
The Cougars have gone Under the total in 24 of their last 42 games (+5.35 Units / 12% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Tennessee vs. Houston.
How to watch Tennessee vs Houston
| Location | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV |
| Date | Tuesday, November 25, 2025 |
| Tip-off | 6:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | TNT |
Tennessee vs Houston key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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