Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee Odds
| Vanderbilt Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11.5 -110 | 132.5 -110o / -110u | +475 |
| Tennessee Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11.5 -110 | 132.5 -110o / -110u | -650 |
The in-state rivalry between Tennessee and Vanderbilt renews for the second time in 2022 on the hardwood. Tennessee won the first meeting 68-60 when these two teams met in Nashville.
The Volunteers now welcome the Commodores to their building, looking for a sweep of Vandy and also seeking their fourth consecutive victory. Tennessee had high expectations entering this season, and the Vols are starting to live up to the preseason billing.
The Commodores have been playing some pretty solid basketball of their own in recent weeks. Vanderbilt has won three of four, which includes a home win over LSU where the Dores led from start to finish.
Thompson-Boling arena should be rocking, and the Vols will be looking to continue to stay perfect on the year at home.
Tennessee will be a sizable favorite in this matchup, but where does the betting value lie? Let's find out.
Vanderbilt Commodores
Jerry Stackhouse entered this season firmly on the hot seat after a rough start to his tenure, but he has done a good job of keeping the ship afloat this year. Vanderbilt owns wins over three teams inside the projected tournament field: BYU, Arkansas, and LSU, and it has been competitive in most SEC games.
The Commodores are held back by an offense that struggles to find consistency and has limited options overall. Vandy currently ranks outside the top 100 in adjOE, and outside the top 200 in the country in two-point shooting.
Scotty Pippen Jr. has certainly been the most reliable piece for the Dores, and the junior has taken his game to a new level in 2022. Pippen has gone for 19+ points in four of his last five games, highlighted by the 33 he dropped in Rupp Arena.
Vanderbilt has been pretty strong on the defensive end, and this is where I think they can have some success against a mediocre Tennessee offense. The Commodores hold opponents under 30% from behind the arc and rank among the top 30 in forcing turnovers.
Keeping a big and athletic Tennessee frontcourt off of the offensive glass will be paramount on Saturday.
Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee is playing like a top 15 team in the country right now. The Vols are elite defensively and have made some significant strides on the offensive end.
When you look at their resume, a bad loss does not exist. In fact all six losses have come to teams currently projected to be five seeds or higher in the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee also boasts wins over North Carolina, Arizona, LSU, and Florida, so this is a team that has the chance to play its way into very favorable position with a strong finish to the regular season.
While the loss of forward Olivier Nkamhoua is a blow to the interior, Rick Barnes has nice depth with this group to fill the void of his absence.
Freshman point guard Kennedy Chandler is mature beyond his years and has done a great job of quarterbacking this team. Chandler has a good assist to turnover ratio offensively, and on the other end, he is an absolute pest to opponents' backcourts.
When the Vols are making shots from the outside, they can play with anybody in the country.
Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee Betting Pick
Tennessee has opened as an 11.5-point favorite, and I think that is too many points in this spot. Vanderbilt has been playing its best ball of the season the last couple of weeks, and this is a big opportunity to get back to .500 in conference play.
While Tennessee's swarming defense will certainly create some problems for the Commodores in the halfcourt, Pippen is too good of a player not to get his, and Jordan Wright has been shooting it better from deep lately.
On the other end, Vandy should force some turnovers and limit the Vols on the interior.
Neither of these teams plays particularly fast, which will also make it more difficult for the Volunteers to pull away in this one.
Tennessee should ultimately win the game, but expect Vandy to keep it inside single digits. Give me the Commodores and the points.
