#24 Vanderbilt vs. #23 Tennessee Picks and Predictions: SEC Hoops
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Fri Mar 06, 2026, 6:55 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Rick Barnes and the No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers host the No. 24 Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday in Knoxville. They already beat this team four games ago in Nashville, so I'm certain the Dores will be eager for revenge, but it won't come easy. After starting off 16-0, Vanderbilt has come crashing back down to Earth. They are just 7-7 in their last 14 games and will be looking to improve their seeding in the Big Dance, and the SEC Tournament, with a road win on Saturday. Check out our CBB expert picks and see if you agree with their predictions.
Best Bet: Vanderbilt +4.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
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#24 Vanderbilt Commodores vs. #23 Tennessee Volunteers NCAA Basketball Insights
Nate Ament and the Volunteers look to get the season sweep over the Commodores at home this Saturday
The Commodores let the first meeting slip away from them. They were 2.5 point favorites at home with a total that got bought up from 148.5 to 150.5. In a low scoring affair, the Volunteers were victorious winning by four with 134 total points being scored. Vanderbilt was actually up four at halftime and even led by seven with about 12 minutes to go. But that's when the Volunteers turned on the defense.
Will they be able to do it again at home? Surely they will try and slow things down, since that is their preferred style of play, and they will try to limit the possessions they give to this high flying offense. Vanderbilt averages about 87 points per game while shooting 48% from the field, but the Volunteer's defense only allowed 68.9 per game, and just 65.3 in their own gym. Will the Commodores be able to create enough offense to get their revenge on the road?
Matchup Information – Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee – March 7
- Venue & Location: Food City Center (Knoxville, TN)
- Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
- Kick Off: 2:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of March 6, 2026 at 6:20 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Vanderbilt +4.5 (-110)
- Tennessee -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline
- Vanderbilt +158
- Tennessee -192
Total
- Over 147.5 (-110)
- Under 147.5 (-110)
#24 Vanderbilt vs. #23 Tennessee NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions
Tyler Tanner does it all for Vanderbilt, leading them in minutes, points, assists and steals
Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee Prediction: Vanderbilt Wins Outright, Under 147.5
Best Bet: Vanderbilt +4.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
I really like Vanderbilt catching the points in this spot. If I had to guess, I would imagine Tennessee controls the pace of this game, therefore we shouldn't expect too many possessions. However, the Commodores are efficient. They are No. 15 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 31 in eFG%. Their numbers dip a little bit on the road, but they are still a top 25 offense overall and break the top 50 in eFG% as well. Most importantly, they take phenomenal care of the basketball.
Tennessee's offense doesn't really move the needle for me, plus their defense gives up far too many threes. We saw Vanderbilt shoot 39% from deep in the first meeting (9/23). The Commodores take over 45% of their shots from downtown, and the Volunteer's defense ranks bottom 30 in the country in three point attempts allowed. If you give this team enough chances, they are going to knock down some shots. Regardless, the pace of this game will keep it low scoring, which certainly correlates with the underdog covering.
The Volunteers are No. 291 in the nation in possessions per game, and we only saw 63 the last time these teams met. In a game that has minimal possessions, I think the Commodores' offense is better equipped to make good use of those chances. I think that leads to them keeping this one close, and perhaps even winning outright to really add an exclamation point at the end of the regular season.
Go Dores.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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