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Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky NCAA Basketball Preview & Free Pick

Bet On College Basketball: Commodores vs Wildcats

Vanderbilt played Kentucky tougher than anyone else in the SEC during the regular season. The Commodores will get one more crack at the Wildcats in Sunday’s SEC Tournament title game.

SEC Tournament Basketball Matchup: Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky
1:00 PM EST on ABC
College Basketball Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
NCAA Basketball Betting Favorite: Kentucky -6.5
Over/Under: Off

Matchup | Preview 

Kentucky hasn’t been playing very well in this tournament.

Can the Commodores take advantage of that, or will Kentucky pick up their level of play for this game?

Vanderbilt is a team with tons of talent, but inconsistency has been a major problem for them over the past couple years. They have been upset in their first game in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. Expectations are high in Nashville, and this team needs to make a run this year.

John Jenkins leads the team in scoring at 20 points per game. He shoots 45% from beyond the arc, and he is capable of carrying the team when he is on. Jeff Taylor averages 16.3 points per game. Taylor can shoot it from deep, but he is great at driving the lane and getting to the free throw line.

Jenkins and Taylor are two terrific players that cause mismatches against most opponents. Festus Ezeli needs to be aggressive in the post if Vanderbilt is going to hang around in this one.

The Commodores average 73 points per game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Kentucky has been easily the best team in the country through the regular season, but the Wildcats haven’t played well the last two days. LSU actually led them in the second half on Friday, and Florida led most of the way yesterday.

The Wildcats can’t afford to give this kind of effort when they get into the NCAA Tournament, or they will make an earlier than expected exit. Anthony Davis is an amazing player on both ends of the floor. He is the leader for National Player of the Year.

He leads the nation in blocked shots with 153, and his offensive game is improving a lot as the season moves along. Doron Lamb is a 47% outside shooter for the Wildcats. Terrence Jones and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist both average about 12 points per game.

The Wildcats excel on the defensive end, where they allow opponents to shoot just 36.6%.

Vanderbilt has proven they can play with Kentucky, but they haven’t been able to seal the deal. In the end, Kentucky will likely win another close one because of their great balance.

Prediction: Kentucky 75 Vanderbilt 70

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By Kyle Hunter

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