The SEC championship features No. 3 Arkansas and No. 4 Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 15.
These teams played once this season with the Razorbacks winning 93-68 at home.
The Commodores are 2.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at 166.5 points.
Here’s my prediction, preview and pick for Sunday’s Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas matchup.
Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas prediction, preview
The top two teams in the SEC got upset in the conference tournament, leaving the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds remaining for the title match. Vanderbilt pulled off the upset on No. 1 Florida 91-74 in the semifinals and are riding that momentum into the championship.
Tyler Tanner is the team’s leading scorer with 19.2 points per game on 49.3% from the field. He’s also averaging 5.2 assists per game in his second season with the team. Between him and Duke Miles, Vanderbilt has a lethal backcourt, which is often a necessity in March Madness.
Arkansas has an electric backcourt headlined by freshman Darius Acuff Jr. He’s averaging 22.7 points on 49.4% shooting to go with 6.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. He’s a potential lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Alongside him is freshman Meleek Thomas, creating a young and solid backcourt.
The inexperience may catch up to them in the NCAA Tournament, but these two have looked terrific thus far. Both scored at least 24 points while making a combined 15-of-17 free throws in the overtime win in the semifinals.
Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas pick, best bet
The Commodores blowing out Florida in the semifinals was unexpected, which creates even more uncertainty for this championship game. Will Vanderbilt keep this momentum, or will it cool off?
The Commodores are a top 25 team, but Saturday’s performance will be hard to replicate. They shot 55% from the field, 48% from deep and 91% from the foul line. Arkansas allowed 90 points to a below .500 Ole Miss team, so maybe another offensive showing is in store.
If that’s the case, Arkansas has the advantage. Acuff and Thomas are offensive machines.
