The Tennessee Volunteers (22-10) and No. 22 Vanderbilt Commodores (24-7) meet in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday. Tip from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, is set for 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NCAA basketball odds around the Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt odds and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions for the best bets.
Tennessee beat the Auburn Tigers 72-62 in the second round of the SEC Tournament Thursday, covering as a 5.5-point neutral-court favorite with the Under (145.5) cashing. The Vols struggled down the home stretch of the regular season, losing 3 of their final 4 games and failing to cover in each loss. Tennessee is 14-18 against the spread (ATS) this season.
Vanderbilt was among the 4 teams in the conference to earn a double bye. The Commodores finished the regular season Saturday with an 86-82 road win over the Vols, covering as a 3.5-point underdog as the Over (145.5) hit. They are just 2-4 ATS in their previous 6 games and 16-14 ATS on the season.
Tennessee won the first meeting this season, 69-65 at Vanderbilt Feb. 21.
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Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10:41 p.m. ET.
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Tennessee 76, Vanderbilt 74
BET TENNESSEE (+100).
The Vols beat the Commodores by 4 on the road on Feb. 21, even with star freshman F Nate Ament going 3-for-13 from the field. Ament, who averages 17.4 points per game, missed the season finale, a 4-point home loss to Vandy. He makes a massive difference, and with him, the Vols were the better team even in a hostile environment.
The Commodores have lost 3 of their previous 6 games, including road defeats to the Missouri Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats, who finished as the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in the conference, respectively. Vandy has allowed at least 80 points in 4 straight games.
PASS.
There’s no real reason to take the spread over the moneyline odds here. It should be a close game, but the preferred route is the underdog’s moneyline at even-money.
BET OVER 148.5 (-110).
The Commodores have gone Over in 4 straight games, mainly behind a lacking defense. At the same time, they’ve scored at least 77 points in 4 straight contests. They are averaging 86.9 points per game this season, 14th-best in the nation.
The Vols are 16-16 O/U on the season, and they have found some rhythm offensively. Tennessee has scored at least 72 points in 3 straight games and average 80.1 PPG.
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