The No.5-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores take on the No.2-seeded Stanford Cardinal in the quarterfinals of the NIT tournament at Maples Pavilion. The game starts at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 24 and will air on ESPN.
The Cardinal were victorious over Rhode Island 74-65 in the second round. Chasson Randle finished with 22 points to lead the game. The Commodores, meanwhile, are coming off a 92-77 win over South Dakota State in the second round. Damian Jones scored 20 points and recorded 10 rebounds earning his first double-double of the season.
The Cardinal should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank 26th in the nation at avoiding errors (TO% of 16.2%). Meanwhile, Vanderbilt forces the 48th-fewest turnovers in the nation (31.2%).
Stanford, a three-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Vanderbilt. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable at the moment. The Cardinal enter the game with records of 21-13 Straight Up (SU) and 15-18-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 2-8 ATS. The Cardinal are an incredibly accurate shooting team from three-point range with a .386 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Stanford has given up very few turnovers with only an average of 10.8 per game.
Across the court, Vanderbilt has a SU record of 21-13 and an ATS record of 18-13. Vanderbilt has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. Vanderbilt is one of the top shooting teams in the country, hitting .471 of their shots from the floor. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Commodores, who are known for distributing the ball with 15.3 assists per game. Switching gears to the Vanderbilt defense, it averages 5.0 blocks per game, good for 32nd in the nation.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time Stanford and Vanderbilt played, Stanford won, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record (0-0).
Predictions: SU Winner – STAN, ATS Winner – Vandy
Notes
The Stanford Cardinal rank 62nd for their offensive rating of 108.4. The Vanderbilt Commodores have a defensive rating of 165.9 (ranked 69th).
The Stanford Cardinal average 66.7 possessions per game and 1.084 points per possession, while the Vanderbilt Commodores earn fewer possessions (64.1) but more points per possession (1.091).
The Stanford Cardinal average an effective field goal percentage of 49.3% this season. The Vanderbilt Commodores have a losing record of 4-7 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.3% or greater.
Vanderbilt ranks 29th in assists, recording 15.3 per game. Stanford performs worse at 213th with 12.1 assists per game.
Vanderbilt, the 32nd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.0 per game. Stanford does worse, ranked 254th with 2.7.
Vanderbilt ranks 242nd in offensive rebounds, while Stanford ranks at 63rd in defensive rebounds.
