The NCAA Tournament's first round gets underway on Thursday with 16 games to be played over 12 hours. No. 12 seed McNeese looks for a first-round upset for the second straight year, playing No. 5 Vanderbilt in a South regional matchup in Oklahoma City.
The winner of this 3:15 p.m. ET outing on truTV meets the winner of Thursday’s No. 13 Troy vs. No. 4 Nebraska game.
Below, we’ll break down our McNeese Vanderbilt prediction and picks for Thursday's game. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
New users on PrizePicks can start the 2026 NCAA Tournament with $50 in Lineups instantly after playing $5+ — win or lose! Just sign up with promo code PLAYBOOK and you’re good to go.
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Eyeballs are always on the No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchups, as a No. 12 seed has pulled off an upset in four of the last five NCAA Tournaments, including two in each of the last two years.
The McNeese State Cowboys return to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, having upset No. 5 Clemson last season. This year, they went 28-5, finishing second in the Southland before sweeping the conference tourney with a win over top-seeded Stephen F. Austin.
The Cowboys are in the tournament for the fifth time overall. They have their lone win last year over Clemson to go with a second-round loss to Purdue, as well as three first-round exits.
Vanderbilt started the season 16-0 before losing seven of its next 13 games. Wins over Mississippi State and rival Tennessee earned the Commodores the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament, where they shocked defending champion Florida in the semifinals. The run came to an end vs. Arkansas in the SEC Championship.
The Commodores are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 and haven't won a game in the event since 2012. Dating back to their run to the Round of 16 in 2007, the Commodores are 1-8 in their last nine tourney contests.
Vanderbilt enters Thursday’s NCAA Tournament first-round game as an 11.5-point favorite, returning a 1.14x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
McNeese is the big underdog, with a 5.55x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your NCAA Tournament McNeese vs. Vanderbilt prediction on the spread for Thursday, March 19 on PrizePicks.
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Can the McNeese State Cowboys knock off a power school for the second straight year, or will Vanderbilt ride the wave of an SEC Tournament upset of Florida to a deep run in the NCAA Tournament?
You can make your McNeese vs. Vanderbilt picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
Keep tabs on the Playbook for continued college basketball predictions, picks, and news.
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Team Picks and Culture Picks are event contracts offered by Performance Predictions II, LLC d/b/a PrizePicks Predict, a CFTC-registered FCM and NFA Member. All event contract customers must be U.S. residents and 18+. Some event contracts may not be available in every state. Event contract trading carries significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. No guarantee against loss is offered. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. Void where prohibited by law. Restrictions apply. For full terms of service see prizepicks.com/predict-regulatory. Team and Culture Pick Early Payouts subject to market liquidity.
