Vanderbilt basketball will take the court for the first time in a week when it faces Oklahoma at Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 7.
The No. 15 Commodores (19-3, 6-3 SEC) are coming off a 71-68 win over Ole Miss on Jan. 31. Tyler Tanner scored 24 points in that game. Vanderbilt had its conference open date during the midweek.
The Commodores have dealt with injuries of late to Duke Miles and Frankie Collins, and while they blew out Kentucky with both unavailable, the game against Ole Miss saw the two players’ presences more deeply missed.
Here’s our prediction for the matchup:
Oklahoma won its first SEC game against Ole Miss. Since then, the Sooners haven’t won. They’ve lost nine games in a row, including to bottom-tier teams South Carolina and Mississippi State.
The closest Oklahoma got to a win was an overtime loss to Missouri in which the Tigers hit buzzer-beaters in both regulation and overtime.
Oklahoma’s defense has struggled this season, rating out as the worst in the SEC per Torvik. The Sooners figure to have trouble with Tanner’s athleticism and court vision. The SEC’s sixth-leading scorer at 17.8 points per game could have a big day.
Vanderbilt has been wildly inconsistent in SEC play. The Commodores have at times looked like a Final Four contender −a 35-point win over Kentucky, a similarly large blowout of Wake Forest − but at other times they’ve barely looked like a tournament team, with losses to Texas by 16 points and Arkansas by 25. In its last game, Vanderbilt barely squeaked by an Ole Miss team that is 11-11.
With some players having missed time, it’s been harder for Vanderbilt to find consistency.
Duke Miles and Frankie Collins both missed the game against Ole Miss with knee injuries. Collins has been cleared, but it is unclear whether he will play.
Vanderbilt 82, Oklahoma 69
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
