The Kentucky Wildcats meet the Vanderbilt Commodores in the third round of the SEC Tournament Friday at Amalie Arena. Tip is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
No. 11 Vanderbilt was among the four teams that had to play in the first round, easily knocking off Georgia 86-51. The Commodores were then gifted No. 6 Alabama and won 82-76. They covered both games, as 9-point favorites and 5-point underdogs respectively.
On the season, Vandy is 20-12 against the spread (ATS). It is 3-0 straight up in neutral-site matches. Vandy is 1-1 ATS against UK this season, covering in a 77-70 loss in Lexington as 14.5-point underdogs. It failed to cover at home as 7.5-point underdogs, losing 78-66.
Vandy is led by Scottie Pippen Jr. who is averaging 20.5 points per game. He’ll have see Kentucky C Oscar Tshiebwe yet again. Tshiebwe is averaging 17.3 points and 15.3 rebounds per game.
The West Virginia transfer is a contender for Player of the Year and is a key reason the Cats are 25-6. No. 5 Kentucky, rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports, is just 14-16-1 ATS on the season though and is just 7-6 straight up away from home.
Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:30 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Vanderbilt +440 (bet $100 to win $440) | Kentucky -650 (bet $650 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Vanderbilt +10.5 (-107) | Kentucky -10.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 142.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
[tipico]
Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Kentucky 78, Vanderbilt 69
Money line
PASS.
Betting a -650 in March is asking to be disappointed.
Similarly, Kentucky won by 12 and 7 in the teams’ meetings in the regular season and should come out on top, making the +440 a tad too risky for my taste.
Against the spread
LEAN to VANDERBILT +10.5 (-107).
As tournaments go deeper, it’s easier to see which teams have it in them to continue, and Vandy just might. While Vandy hasn’t beaten Kentucky, it has been a covering machine as of late.
Since February 2, which Vandy covered a 14.5-point spread in Kentucky, the Commodores have gone 11-1 ATS. Pippen Jr. has helped captain an offense that’s been just good enough to keep games close. In that span, they’re 6-6 straight up.
Vandy is 12-7-1 ATS against conference opponents while Kentucky is just 8-10. The Wildcats also rank 133rd in the nation in free-throw percentage, which could help keep this game close late.
For those reasons, I like Vandy to keep their hot play alive, but I still wouldn’t put it on them to come out on top and advance.
Over/Under
BET the OVER 142.5 (-115).
Kentucky is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 80.1 points per game. The Wildcats rank 12th in field goal shooting as well at 48.9%.
Their strength is in their rebounding behind Tshiebwe. Considering Vandy has one player that consistently seeing minutes over 6-foot-7, I expect the Cats size to be huge and help them rack up offensive boards.
Vandy is 10-3 O/U in its last 13 games and 20-12 O/U on the season. Pippen Jr. should help them continue scoring easily, having averaged 84 points per game in the first two rounds of the SEC Tournament.
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