It’s march madness time with SEC Tournament action at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. On Wednesday night, the 14th-seeded Georgia Bulldogs (6-25,1-17) take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (15-15,7-11), the 11th-seed. Georgia finished the regular season with a 79-69 loss on the road to Missouri on Saturday, while Vanderbilt defeated Ole Miss 63-61 on the road. The Bulldogs have a 49-33 advantage in the all-time series, but the Commodores have won both matches this season. The first encounter was won by Vanderbilt 73-66 on the road on January 15th, while the most recent matchup was won by Vanderbilt 85-77 at home on January 29th.
Georgia Bulldogs Betting Preview: Bulldogs look to Get Out of Rut
Georgia has been the worst team in the SEC all year, and their slide continued Saturday, as Missouri defeated them for the 11th time in a row and their 19th loss in 20 games. The Bulldogs were on fire early against Missouri, leading 16-2 four minutes into the game and led by nine at halftime. With 18:11 left to play, the Bulldogs had an 11-point lead, only to watch it slip away as they were outscored 27-8 over the next ten minutes. Georgia hit 21 of 33 free-throw attempts and shot 44.9 percent from the field, including four of twelve from three-point range. Braelyn Bridges led the Bulldogs in the loss with 19 points and five rebounds.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs are averaging 70.4 points per game, ranking them 201st in the US in scoring offense. This season, Georgia is below average on the glass, averaging 32.7 rebounds per game while dishing out 14 assists a game. The Bulldogs are led by Kario Oquendo, who leads the team with 15.4 points Braelen Bridges is Georgia’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. Aaron Cook (10.6 points, 5.4 assists), Jailyn Ingram (10.7 points), and Kario Oquendo (15.4 points) are all capable scorers in the second unit.
The Bulldogs are also a below-average defensive team, ranking almost dead last with a 344th in scoring defense with 78.3 points allowed per game. The defense has conceded 75 or more points in each of their last seven games, and they’ll need to make major adjustments heading into their matchup against Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt Commodores Betting Preview: Vanderbilt Goes for Sweep and Looks to Make Postseason Run
Vanderbilt had lost three of their previous six games, but they will head into the tournament with a bit of momentum after edging out Ole Miss on the road in their season finale Saturday. The Commodores trailed Ole Miss by as many as ten points in the first half and by seven at halftime, but with 10:13 remaining, the game was tied, but the Commodores went on a 7-2 run to go ahead 54-49 with 7:09 remaining and didn’t look back as they took the lead the rest of the way to win.
The Commodores have an average of 69.5 points per game this season, which ranks them 223rd in the country. Vanderbilt also averages 33.9 rebounds per game while dishing out 11.4 assists each contest. This season, Scotty Pippen Jr. has been the key cog in the Vandy offense, leading the club with 20.5 points and 4.2 assists per game. Jordan Wright, who has added 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds, is the Commodores’ only player in double figures.
The Commodores’ defense is above average, ranking 132nd in the country with 67.5 points allowed per game. In their last matchup against the Rebels, Vanderbilt held Ole Miss to just 42.4 percent shooting and 25 percent from the three-point range.
Betting Odds and Lines
MyBookie has the Vanderbilt listed as the -9 point “home” favorite, while the total number of points is at 144 in the latest odds.
Free Betting Pick
The Bulldogs come into this matchup, having dropped 11 straight contests and 19 of their last 20 overall. Thirteen of those defeats were by double digits, with eight of them by more than 15 points. In other words, the Bulldogs have been nothing short of pathetic, and things aren’t going to improve just because they’re in the SEC Tournament vastly.
On the other hand, Vanderbilt has battled down the stretch, but the squad is still just .500 on the season and has only won seven conference games. Despite this, this is the most wins the team has had in a season since 2016-17, and it’s even more impressive considering they’re playing in the toughest conference in basketball. The Commodores aren’t a juggernaut in the conference, but they’re light years ahead of Georgia at this moment.
Scottie Pippen Jr. is very fun to watch, and he should lead the Commodores past the Bulldogs easily in this matchup. This year, Vandy is 10-4 ATS after a win and undefeated at neutral sites.
BetUSASports Free Pick: Vanderbilt -9
