The Tennessee Volunteers (13-16) will have a tough time bringing their six-game road losing streak to a halt when they take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (18-11), who have won seven in a row at home. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 1 and can be seen on SEC and ES3.
The Commodores beat Kentucky 74-62 on Saturday. Matthew Fisher-Davis was the team’s leading scorer with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The Volunteers, meanwhile, are coming off a 75-65 loss to Arkansas on Saturday. Armani Moore played well, accounting for his sixth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Damian Jones has really been playing well recently for the Commodores, averaging 18.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 blocks over the last five games.
The Vanderbilt defense could make it difficult on the shooters from Tennessee. It ranks second in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 42.5%), while the Tennessee offense is 285th with a mark of 47.4%. The Volunteers should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank 20th at avoiding errors (TO% of 15.6%). Conversely, the Commodores force the 57th-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents’ TO% of 14.5%).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Commodores winning the first matchup 88-74. Wade Baldwin IV had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 25 points, four rebounds, five assists, one block, and three three-pointers.
The Commodores have gone 18-11 Straight Up (SU) and 14-13 Against The Spread (ATS). Vanderbilt has been struggling of late. In the last 10 games, Vanderbilt has only averaged 68.0 points per game compared to the 77.2 they’ve averaged on the season. Vanderbilt is excellent from the perimeter, shooting a superb .391 from three-point range. As for the Vanderbilt defense, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Commodores. The 62.5 points that Vanderbilt’s defense allows per home game makes them the 33rd-ranked defense at home. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Commodores, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .381. An area where the Commodores are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.4 blocks per game, 15th in Division I.
Across the court, the Volunteers have 13-16 SU and 14-13-1 ATS records. Tennessee is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Volunteers average 12.8 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 48th-best team in the country for that category. The Volunteers average 75.1 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 68.2 points per game during that span. Don’t expect Tennessee to give away the ball much on offense, where its 11.0 turnovers per game ranks 34th in the country.
Following the Commodores’ latest win over Tennessee, Vanderbilt moved closer to evening up its record against Tennessee. It now stands at 4-6 SU over their most recent meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Tennessee held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Vanderbilt never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Vandy, ATS Winner – Vandy
Notes
Vanderbilt averages 77.2 points per game (ranked 73rd). Tennessee, on the other hand, allows 75.1 points per game (ranked 204th).
Vanderbilt scores 80.6 points per home game (ranked 61st). Tennessee ranks a poor 208th in points allowed on the road, allowing 78.7 points.
Ranked 71st, the Vanderbilt Commodores have an offensive rating of 110.9. The Tennessee Volunteers rank 208th with a defensive rating of just 106.2.
The Tennessee Volunteers average 70.6 possessions per game and 1.068 points per possession. The Vanderbilt Commodores earn fewer possessions with 69.6, but they score more points with 1.109.
Tennessee has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.4%. Vanderbilt is a losing 3-5 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Vanderbilt attempts 21.0 three pointers and Tennessee attempts 22.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Vanderbilt Commodores have a 10-8 record while the Tennessee Volunteers have a subpar 8-14 record.
Vanderbilt ranks 65th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.26, while Tennessee ranks 81st with an A/TO of 1.23.
Vanderbilt ranks 60th in rebounds per game with 38.8 and Tennessee ranks 68th with 38.5 rebounds per game.
Vanderbilt records 4.2 steals per game. Tennessee is 10-11 when giving up at least 4 steals.
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