The Vanderbilt Commodores (19-13) look to continue their season against the No. 24 Kentucky Wildcats (21-10) in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals in Nashville Friday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
After winning the 1st meeting between these teams 69-53 on Jan. 24 as a 5.5-point favorite (Under 142.5 hit), Kentucky lost the 2nd contest 68-66 at home as a 10.5 favorite on March 1 (Under 145.5 hit).
Kentucky, after a rough start to the season, has come on strong to finish the season in the top 25 and will make another trip to March after being defeated by St. Peter’s last year.
Vanderbilt comes in after beating LSU 77-68 on Thursday and needs a win to keep its slim hopes of a postseason berth alive. Coach Jerry Stackhouse has done great for Vanderbilt this season and a win against Kentucky would be a large feather in the cap of the program moving forward into next season.
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Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Vanderbilt +325 (bet $100 to win $325) | Kentucky -425 (bet $425 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Vanderbilt +8.5 (-105) | Kentucky -8.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 144.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky picks and predictions
Prediction
Kentucky 78, Vanderbilt 68
Moneyline
PASS.
Kentucky comes in rested after winning its last game of the season 88-79 over Arkansas on Saturday while Vanderbilt is coming off a tough win over LSU on Thursday. After a physical battle against the Tigers, expect the Commodores to come out a bit slow here.
But at -425, Kentucky is too big a favorite to wager on straight. But it would still be the only side to play. Which means this is a no go as a bet unless added into a larger parlay.
Against the spread
KENTUCKY -8.5 (-115).
Vanderbilt has had a good run of late. But it ends here.
Kentucky has covered in 5 of 6 overall and 5 of 6 in Friday games. Coming in with 6 days rest, the Wildcats will jump out to an early lead and force the Commodores to play catchup, which Vandy is not equipped to do.
Oscar Tshiebwe has not been the same player this season as he was in 2021-22. But he is still a finalist for the Wooden Award and leads the nation with 13.1 rebounds per game while also averaging 16.4 points.
His ability to get offensive rebounds to produce 2nd-chance points while also limiting the amount of second chance points for Vanderbilt will go a long way in making sure Kentucky can cover the 8.5-point spread here.
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Over/Under
OVER 144.5 (-110)
While both teams have gone through scoring droughts this season, the Over is still the correct play.
Kentucky is coming in fresh off an 88-point output against Arkansas Saturday and Vanderbilt will be forced to play keep up.
Kentucky’s defense ranks just 107th at 67.6 points per game while Vanderbilt’s defense ranks 234th at 71.7 points allowed. Both teams will find it difficult to hold down the opponent and the Over is the most comfortable play here.
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