The Missouri Tigers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, TN. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Missouri is favored by 2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -142. The total is set at 157.5 points.
Here’s my Missouri vs. Vanderbilt predictions and college basketball picks for March 1, 2025.
Missouri vs Vanderbilt Prediction
My Pick: Missouri -155
My Missouri vs Vanderbilt best bet is on the Tigers moneyline, with the best odds currently available at BetRivers. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Missouri vs Vanderbilt Odds
| Missouri Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -108 | 157.5 -115o / -105u | -142 |
| Vanderbilt Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -112 | 157.5 -115o / -105u | +120 |
- Missouri vs Vanderbilt spread: Missouri -2.5
- Missouri vs Vanderbilt over/under: 157.5 points
- Missouri vs Vanderbilt moneyline: Missouri -142, Vanderbilt +120
- Missouri vs Vanderbilt best bet: Missouri ML -155
Spread
I have no play on the spread in this matchup.
Moneyline
I'm backing the Tigers to pull off the road win.
Over/Under
I'm not making any bets on the total in this game.
My Pick: Missouri ML -155
Missouri vs Vanderbilt College Basketball Betting Preview
Mizzou is in the midst of a historic season. Currently sitting 11th in KenPom, the Tigers are the highest they’ve been on the stat guru’s site since 2012, the year they earned a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
A win Saturday gets the Tigers one step closer to earning a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament – key for a double bye in the bracket – and a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament.
After a tough loss at Arkansas, Mizzou rallied with a beatdown of South Carolina, further underscoring that Columbia, MO, is the one and true Columbia.
Vandy enters this game riding high off two straight wins against NCAA Tournament teams. The Commodores scored massive victories against Ole Miss and at Texas A&M, virtually locking them into the Field of 68.
A win Saturday would be the cherry on top and remove all doubt about ending up on the wrong side of the bubble in a couple of weeks.
These two teams met back in January. Mizzou never trailed, led by as many as 17 and ultimately won by nine. But Vandy made it a game, cutting the Tigers' lead to one point with about five minutes to play.
Both teams were hot from deep and turned the ball over 14 times. The difference was finishing – Vandy simply couldn't score inside the arc, shooting just 38.2% from 2 against Mizzou’s cadre of athletes.
The Tigers won the transition battle, an area both teams look to exploit on a nightly basis, but the Commodores found plenty of success putting Mizzou in ball screens, scoring 1.273 points per possession off the action.
Mizzou’s offense has been pounding SEC opponents all season. The Tigers boast the league’s third-best attack, fueled by the best free throw attempt rate, fourth-best 3-point attempt rate, and third-best 3-point percentage in the SEC.
Dennis Gates’ elite combination of athleticism, depth and shooting is deadly on this end of the floor. Vanderbilt is the SEC’s worst defensive team, and it frankly can't stop what the Tigers do offensively.
Lack of perimeter size, athleticism, frontcourt size and depth, and rim protection are all issues for the Commodores.
Defending Mizzou at the rim in the paint will be a major challenge – the Tigers are top-10 nationally in field goal percentage at the rim, and Vandy allows the highest field goal attempt rate in the paint in the country, while ranking 310th in paint field goal percentage defense (CBB Analytics).
Mark Mitchell is a different animal in the lane. While Vandy forward Devin McGlockton is theoretically a good matchup for him, Mitchell had no trouble racking up 19 points and seven rebounds in the first meeting.
While Mizzou has stagnated on the offensive end at times this season, its many weapons have largely prevented any prolonged deficiencies. And when things aren’t quite clicking in the half-court, the Tigers have an elite transition attack to fall back on.
Vandy is a decent shooting team on its offensive end and certainly has some deep-ball weapons with the likes of Jason Edwards and Tyler Nickel.
But the Commodores primarily do their work in the paint and off mid-range jumpers; Mark Byington has several talented guard creators that can work into the teeth of defenses and punish them with pull-ups, kick-outs and dump-downs.
Ball handling is key for Vandy, a sure-handed squad behind Edwards and AJ Hoggard. Mizzou can really turn opponents over, so the Commodores’ ability to limit mistakes will go a long way toward their bid for victory.
Look for Byington to return to the pick-and-roll well against the Tigers, an action that worked wonders in the first game. With the Commodores’ ability to nearly always play five shooters, defending pick-and-roll action is a challenge, especially for slower-footed bigs like Mizzou’s Josh Gray.
However, when Gates plays Mitchell at the 5, everything changes. Mitchell is a cheat code defensively with his ability to guard every position on the floor.
Vandy likes to run in the open floor — just like Mizzou — but the Tigers' transition defense has been great this season, ranking 46th in points per possession allowed. They stifled Vandy in transition in the first game with their defensive versatility, athleticism and speed.
This should be a close game between two teams playing their best basketball of the season. Vandy has already beaten Tennessee and Kentucky on its home floor and can certainly do the same against a terrific Tiger squad.
But Mizzou is so tough to defeat.
Vandy has to be worried about defending so many different players and actions on top of competing against a team with an edge in the athleticism and size departments.
Look for the Tigers to pull out the road win and continue their amazing run.
