Our college hoops expert expects Vanderbilt to take care of business against Wake Forest after navigating a challenging preseason exhibition schedule.
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Wake Forest heads to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt in a Top-100 matchup tonight.
Both teams enter the season with high hopes, with the Demon Deacons looking to pull off an early upset, while Vanderbilt looks to dominate from start to finish.
My Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt prediction and college basketball picks envision the Commodores cruising early.
It’s hard to want to lay the points on a near 20-point favorite when the two teams aren’t that far apart in Bart Torvik‘s rankings. However, Vanderbilt’s preseason exhibition schedule better prepared the Commodores for the start of the season than Wake Forest’s.
Vanderbilt faced Virginia, Miami (FL), and UAB in preparation for the 2026-27 season. Meanwhile, Wake Forest played Georgetown and South Carolina. That’s solid competition, but not quite the same level as what Vanderbilt faced.
On top of that, Vanderbilt returns junior guard Tyler Tanner, who was not only a first-team All-SEC and All-Defensive selection a season ago, but also averaged nearly 20 PPG and 5.1 APG while shooting 37% from deep.
The Commodores also added former Colorado big man Bangot Dak, who averaged 11.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG last season. He should be a great interior defender, as posted a 6.4% block rate a year ago.
Wake Forest didn’t return a single starter from last season, retaining just four players from the previous roster. With so many new faces, I like the Commodores in this spot, and expect them to win by 20 or more.
Both teams like to play fast, ranking among the top 115 in possessions per game a year ago. We should expect more of the same downhill style this evening, with plenty of back-and-forth action.
However, given the level of competition Vanderbilt has faced, I can see the Commodores building a big lead. The Demon Deacons might have a hard time keeping up.
With neither team looking ahead to anything until next Tuesday, expect everyone to be fully present in the moment.
Vanderbilt’s experience and talent should create separation, while both teams’ up-tempo styles provide plenty of opportunities to push this game Over the total.
Pairing the Commodores to cover with the Over at 3.81x makes for a combo piece well worth the sweat.
For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.
For the full slate of college basketball matchups, check out our college basketball odds board!
The Commodores are 11-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight-up win of more than 20 points. Find more college basketball betting trends.
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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Colby Marchio is a two-time DePaul alum and former Division 1 (club) baseball player who has been sports betting since 2019. Since graduating in 2021, he has worked throughout the media circuit, hosting and appearing on various television and radio shows while making countless guest appearances discussing Major League Baseball, college basketball, college football, and the National Football League.
A self-proclaimed numbers nerd, Colby may enjoy digging through the data even more than winning itself. That passion is why his two favorite sports to cover are college basketball and Major League Baseball.
As for his favorite sportsbook, it is whichever one has the best price, or whichever one is not taxing him as an Illinois resident.
You can find all of his plays and more @ColbyMBets on Twitter/X.
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