Vanderbilt vs. Auburn Prediction and Odds (Commodores too One-Dimensional on Offense to Hang with the Tigers)

SEC basketball is back on Wednesday night with the No. 2 Auburn Tigers and Vanderbilt Commodores facing off at the Auburn Arena. Vanderbilt is coming off a loss to another ranked team, No. 19 Tennessee, on the road 73-64. The loss left them with a 13-11 overall record and ranked 10th in the conference. It will be a rough night for the Commodores as they have to face off against the second-best team in the country. They did lose outright to a pretty bad Arkansas team last week, but they bounced back and ran over Texas A&M in their last game 75-58. Auburn has the luxury of playing five of their last six games against unranked teams and is in good shape to lock to a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. But, after the Arkansas loss, it appears that anything is possible when it comes to Auburn. Here are the odds for this SEC matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Vanderbilt vs. Auburn Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

• Vanderbilt +13.5 (-110)
• Auburn -13.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Vanderbilt +700
• Auburn -1100

Total: 143 (Over -110/Under -110)

Vanderbilt vs. Auburn Prediction and Pick

This is a tough game to call due to one guy. Scottie Pippen Jr. Lil’ Pip as I like to call him is the most important player on Vanderbilt by a longshot. He leads the Commodores in Points (18.9), assists (3.8), and steals (1.8) per game. He is one of only two players to average double-digit scoring. The other is Jordan Wright at 12 PPG. This means that if Pippen has a bad game, Vanderbilt loses. This just isn't the type of roster that can deal with a bad game from their best player. 

This is where I think it all falls apart for Vandy I believe. Pippen doesn’t do much work behind the arc and averages around five long ball attempts per game. Compare that to 14 field goals per game. Well, the Tigers are the seventh-best team at limiting two-point shooting with a 42.2 percent average make rate. Across the board, Auburn’s defense is on that shooters want to face off against. With their offense so one-dimensional, I think Auburn will find it easy to lock down Vanderbilt. 

Not to mention that Auburn isn’t even a defense-first team. Their offense overall ranks ninth in the nation in scoring, sixth in rebounds, and first in blocks per game. I'll take a well-rounded ranked team over a Vanderbilt team with the depth of a baby pool. 

Pick: Vanderbilt -13.5

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE