Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt predictions, picks, college basketball odds

The sixth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers visit the Vanderbilt Commodores in one of the most challenging games for the Nashville-based school this season. Vanderbilt entered SEC play at 14-1, but went 2-2 in their conference schedule and is now tenth in the standings. It was a better time for Tennessee, and so were they 3-1 in the conference after a terrible game against Florida. The Volunteers have had plenty of success against the Commodores over the past few seasons, winning nine of their last ten matchups. It’s time to continue our college basketball odds series with the Tennessee-Vanderbilt prediction and pick.

It couldn’t have gotten much worse for Tennessee when their first loss of the season was a 43-point performance in a 30-point loss to the Florida Gators. It was unknown if they could recover from that score and get the offense back on track, but they did in two straight games against Texas and Georgia. Tennessee scored 74 points in both games and now looks like one of the best teams in the country again.

Vanderbilt rode the wave of a less challenging schedule and earned a 14-1 record in SEC play. While this record is impressive on paper, the fact that the Commodores are not a ranked team tells you all you need to know about their strength of schedule. Conference play has been a wake-up call for them, as they’ve scored 66 or fewer points in three straight games and failed to cover the difference.

Here are Tennessee-Vanderbilt College basketball oddscourtesy of FanDuel

College basketball odds: Tennessee-Vanderbilt odds

Tennessee: -6 (-110)

Moneilines: -290

Vanderbilt: +6 (-110)

Moneiline: +235

Over: 141.5 (-110)

Under: 141.5 (-110)

How to watch Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt

Time: 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT

TV: SEC Network

*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*

Why Tennessee will cover the spread/win

It’s hard to take Vanderbilt’s 14-3 record seriously after seeing how they performed in their SEC games. The Commodores looked like an elite offense leading into conference play, scoring 80+ points in six straight games and surpassing the 100-point mark in two contests. However, after an impressive opener win over LSU, Vanderbilt dropped two straight games where they failed to score more than 66 points. They had another easier game as a 9.5-point favorite against South Carolina, but won by just three points after scoring 66. It could be a bad day for them at home against Tennessee.

Why Vanderbilt will cover the spread/win

Tennessee may have won nine of the last ten matchups between these teams, but they haven’t necessarily done so as convincingly as the odds makers thought. The Volunteers have been favorites in each of the last ten meetings, but the Commodores have covered the spread in four of the last five. It’s worth noting that this is Tennessee’s lowest spread since their first meeting in 2022, as they’ve been double-digit favorites in four of their last five games. However, once they were single-digit favorites, Vanderbilt pulled off a complete upset.

Tennessee-Vanderbilt final prediction and pick

Vanderbilt hasn’t seen a defense like Tennessee’s, as the Volunteers are third in the nation with 57.8 points allowed per game. The Commodores’ scoring averages have dipped significantly in the SEC, and this matchup won’t help them much. It’s challenging to trust Tennessee’s offense, but they should be able to do enough to cover the spread here.

Final Tennessee-Vanderbilt Prediction and Pick: Tennessee -6 (-110)