The No.5-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores (19-12) get together with the No.8-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits (21-9) in the second round of the NIT tournament at Memorial Gymnasium. The game gets underway at 9:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 20 and will air on ESPN U.
The Commodores were victorious over Saint Marys 75-64 in the first round. Damian Jones recorded 20 points and five assists, earning his first double-double of the year. The Jackrabbits, meanwhile, are coming off an 86-76 win over Colorado State in the first round. Cody Larson had a good shooting night, leading the team with 19 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Commodores enter the game with records of 20-13 Straight Up (SU) and 17-13 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 7-3 ATS. The Commodores are an impressive shooting team from three-point range with a .393 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I.
Across the court, the Jackrabbits head into the game with records of 20-10 ATS and 24-10 SU.
Vanderbilt and South Dakota State have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – Vandy, ATS Winner – Vandy
Notes
Ranked 54th, the Vanderbilt Commodores have an offensive rating of 109.1. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits rank 133rd with a defensive rating of just 183.5.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits average 66.9 possessions per game and 1.090 points per possession. The Vanderbilt Commodores earn fewer possessions with 64.1, but they score more points with 1.091.
Vanderbilt has an average effective field goal percentage of 54.2%. South Dakota State is an underachieving 3-5 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Vanderbilt ranks 29th in assists, registering 15.3 per game. South Dakota State performs worse at 220th with 12.1 assists per game.
Vanderbilt, the 32nd-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.0 per game. South Dakota State does worse, ranked 128th with 3.8.
On average, Vanderbilt makes 4.9 steals per game. South Dakota State has a solid 19-8 record when it gives up at least 4 steals.
