It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Missouri-Vanderbilt prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Missouri-Vanderbilt.
Two of the best coaching jobs in college basketball this season can be found in this game. Missouri’s Dennis Gates had a nightmare season last year, when Mizzou sank to the bottom of the SEC. Gates was able to quickly reassemble his roster and upgrade the Tigers in a huge way. Missouri might be a No. 3 or No. 4 seed at the NCAA Tournament, a serious contender for the Sweet 16 and a dark-horse contender for the Final Four.
Yet, as impressive as Gates has been at Mizzou, Mark Byington of Vanderbilt has been even better. People will say, “Wait a minute. Vanderbilt might be a No. 9 or 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, while Missouri could be seeded six or seven spots higher. Why has Byington been better?” Good question.
Byington took over a Vanderbilt program which was a mess when Jerry Stackhouse left. Vanderbilt was picked 16th — dead last — in preseason SEC basketball polls. Byington has whipped VU into shape in one season. He didn’t need two or three years to engineer a turnaround. That’s hugely impressive. Rick Pitino, as great as he has been this season, did not get St. John’s to the NCAA Tournament in Year 1. He needed a second year to really put all the pieces together with the Red Storm. Byington, after coming over from James Madison, has made Vanderbilt a near-certain NCAA Tournament team in just one year.
Vanderbilt might already be a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but one more win should absolutely seal the deal.
Here are the Missouri-Vanderbilt College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Missouri-Vanderbilt Odds
Missouri: -1.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -134
Vanderbilt: +1.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +112
Over: 157.5 (-105)
Under: 157.5 (-115)
How to Watch Missouri vs Vanderbilt
Time: 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT
TV: SEC Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Missouri Will Cover The Spread/Win
The spread reflects the belief that this is virtually a pick ’em game. Vanderbilt, having just beaten Ole Miss and Texas A&M to likely play its way into the NCAA Tournament, might be due for an emotional letdown here. Vanderbilt might think the job is done and that it doesn’t have to go all-out to win this game. The other way to phrase this is that Vanderbilt might not have a third straight great performance in the fuel tank. VU playing three strong games in a row in a tough conference might be a little too much to ask of the Commodores.
Why Vanderbilt Will Cover The Spread/Win
Vanderbilt is rolling. The Commodores are playing their best ball of the year at just the right time. Winning against Ole Miss at home was impressive. Winning on the road at Texas A&M was that much more remarkable and brilliant. Mark Byington is a stud coach who has all the answers right now. He is a shining example of how much the right coaching hire matters at a program. Vanderbilt spent most of the past 10 years languishing under its previous head coaches. In comes Byington, and everything has changed. VU will ride the wave and win again.
Final Missouri-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Missouri, but this game feels like a total coin flip, and is priced as such. Maybe wait for a second-half live play.
Final Missouri-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick: Missouri -1.5
The post Missouri vs Vanderbilt prediction, pick, college basketball odds appeared first on ClutchPoints.
