Tennessee State Tigers vs Tennessee Volunteers Prediction, 11/20/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tennessee State Tigers vs Tennessee Volunteers

Date: Thursday, November 20, 2025

Location: Food City Center in Knoxville, TN

TV: SECN+

The Tennessee Volunteers (4-0) will go up against the Tennessee State Tigers (2-2) at Food City Center on Thursday.

The Tennessee State Tigers played Western Kentucky and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 95-82 in their last contest. In relation to personal fouls, the Tigers finished with 21 and Western Kentucky totaled 24 personal fouls. They made 2 of 15 attempts from three-point range. Western Kentucky finished the game at 71.9% from the charity stripe by burying 23 of 32 shots. Additionally, Western Kentucky snagged 35 rebounds (10 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Western Kentucky earned 16 assists and had 7 steals for the contest. In regard to defending, Tennessee State allowed the other team to go 54.7% from the field on 35 out of 64 shooting. They also distributed 13 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 27 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. From the free throw line, the Tigers converted 25 of 34 attempts for a percentage of 73.5%. Tennessee State ended with a 41.4% field goal percentage (24 out of 58) and buried 9 out of their 24 3-point attempts.

Aaron Nkrumah is someone who was a factor for this game. He totaled 22 points on 6 out of 12 shooting. He played 36 minutes played and also collected 9 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 50.0% from the field and also dished out 2 assists.

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Tennessee State will play this contest with a record of 2-2 on the season. They have an average of 94.0 points per game (29th in D-1) while shooting 46.3% from the field. The Tigers are connecting on 33.0% on shots from 3-point land (35 of 106) and 78.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Tennessee State is pulling in 48.0 boards per contest and has accounted for 68 assists this season, which has them ranked 165th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 15.3 times per contest and as a team they commit 19.5 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Tigers have forced 15.8 turnovers every game while drawing 17.5 personal fouls. They concede 25.0% from 3-point land while they are 245th in college in PPG allowed (77.0). The Tigers are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 43.8% (112 of 256) and they surrender 35.0 rebounds per contest as a team. They currently rank 212th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 60 relinquished this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Tennessee Volunteers went home victorious with a score of 91-66 against Rice. In reference to cleaning up the glass, Tennessee allowed Rice to get 25 in total (11 on the offensive side). They finished 28.6% from distance by connecting on 8 out of 28 and finished the game at 18 of 25 at the free throw line (72.0%). The Volunteers allowed Rice to bury 20 of their 60 tries from the floor which had them shooting 33.3% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Volunteers went 34 for 65 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.3%. When discussing shots from beyond the arc, Tennessee converted 6 of 19 tries (31.6%). They were able to bury 17 of the free throw tries for a rate of 77.3%. Rice was called for 18 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Volunteers to the charity stripe for 22 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while recording 7 steals in this matchup. The Volunteers collected 27 defensive rebounds and 17 offensive boards for a total of 44 for this game.

Felix Okpara was important for the Volunteers in this matchup. He knocked down 8 of 10 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 80.0%, and accumulated 8 rebounds. He recorded 20 points in his 27 mins on the court and earned 2 dimes for the matchup.

Tennessee has a record of 4-0 on the season. The Volunteers have committed 15.3 fouls every game while shooting 72.5% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 23.0 times per contest (2nd in the nation) and they are giving up possession 14.0 times per game. Tennessee has accounted for 361 pts so far this year (90.3 per game) and they collect 50.0 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Volunteers are hitting on 51.5% from the floor, which has them ranked 33rd in college.

The Volunteers on the defensive side of the court are 30th in college in points allowed per contest with 62.3. They are forcing their opponents into 12.0 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 34.4% from the floor (12th in the nation). The Tennessee defense allows 27.0% on shots from distance (33 of 122) and their opposition knocks down 62.0% of their foul shots. They allow 9.8 assists and 28.0 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 33rd and 18th in those categories on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Tennessee

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