The No. 19 Vanderbilt Commodores host the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday afternoon in an SEC college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 1:00 p.m. ET in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Commodores are listed as 7.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 166.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this SEC college basketball matchup.
Vanderbilt vs. Texas A&M prediction, preview
Vanderbilt is having a great season in year two under Mark Byington. He took the Commodores to the NCAA Tournament last season, and they hope to take it a step further by winning some games in the tournament this season. Vanderbilt ranks 13th in the nation in net rating and 13th in offensive rating. This team can simply score the basketball, which makes them hard to beat on a nightly basis. Vanderbilt has won four of its past five games, with that one loss coming by just one point. Sophomore guard Tyler Tanner has been playing great as of late, scoring 24 or more points in four of his past five games.
Texas A&M is one of eight teams in the country to be averaging over 90 points per game this season. While the group has been inconsistent at times, it can score with any team in the nation on a good night. The Aggies are in poor form at the moment, having lost three straight games coming into this matchup. They have been unable to get stops during that losing run, most notably giving up 100 points to Alabama. For being such a high-scoring team, the Aggies don’t have one elite standout scorer. Instead, they have five different players averaging double figures this season. That makes them even harder to defend, as opponents can’t just focus on taking away one specific player.
Vanderbilt vs. Texas A&M pick
My best bet for this game is the over 166.5 total points. This is one of the most fun bets you can make for the Saturday slate, with two of the best offenses in the country going back and forth. Texas A&M averages 90.7 points per game while Vanderbilt averages 88.7 points per game. Not only can both teams score efficiently, but they both push the pace. Vanderbilt ranks 51st in the nation in adjusted tempo, while Texas A&M ranks 28th. Every game the Aggies play turns into a track meet, and this one should be no different. Texas A&M has given up 90.7 points per game over its last three games. The Commodores should put up a huge number in this game, and Texas A&M should run with them most of the way to get this total over 166.5 points.
