Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Vanderbilt Commodores face the Auburn Tigers at the Neville Arena. Vanderbilt is 19-4 in its first 23 games, with a 6-4 record in the SEC, while Auburn is 14-9 and 5-5 in conference play.
Check out my best bet for tonight’s Vanderbilt vs. Auburn contest.
Vanderbilt vs. Auburn (7:00 p.m. ET)
Vanderbilt is coming off a one-point loss to Oklahoma on February 7, but won three straight before that. The Commodores are led by their backcourt of Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles. Tanner averages 18.6 points but has scored 24-plus in three of his last four, including a big 37-point performance against Oklahoma. Sixth-year guard Miles is averaging 16.6 points, 4.3 assists, and three rebounds per contest.
Auburn enters this game on a two-game losing streak, with its last defeat coming against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. The Tigers’ top two players are Keyshawn Hall and Tahaad Pettiford. Hall is averaging 21 points (15th in college basketball) and seven boards per game. Pettiford averages 13.8, but has shown his elite potential throughout the season with six 20-plus point performances.
Vanderbilt is No. 14 on KenPom, while Auburn is 30th. Auburn’s offensive rating is ranked two spots higher, but Vanderbilt’s defensive rating is 19th, compared to the Tigers, who are 69th. Auburn allows 78.4 points per game, which is the third most in the SEC. Vanderbilt only gives up 73.7 to opposing teams.
Getting Vanderbilt +4.5 is an excellent value play since, even though they have struggled at times, the Commodores have been a better team than Auburn this season. Vanderbilt has a deep frontcourt with Tyler Nickel, Devin McGlockton, AK Okereke, and Jalen Washington. They will be tasked with stopping Hall, and if they can be physical and aggressive toward him, they will put their team in a better position to pull off the upset. Two of Vanderbilt’s previous three losses have come by four or fewer points.
