Vanderbilt at Cincinnati: 3/4/21 College Basketball Picks and Prediction
Photo by Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Cincinnati Bearcats (9-9) vs Vanderbilt Commodores (7-14)
Game Info: Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 7:00 pm (Fifth Third Arena)
Betting Odds: Cincinnati Bearcats -6.5 -- Over/Under: 147 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Vanderbilt Commodores will travel to Fifth Third Arena to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats this Thursday night in College Basketball action.
The Vanderbilt Commodores dropped to 7-14 on the season after being defeated by the LSU Tigers, 83-68, this past Tuesday night. Vanderbilt had no answers for the explosive LSU offense on the road and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 46-24 margin. Vanderbilt shot just 38.7% from the field and 29.6% from beyond the arc while LSU shot 46.2% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. Vanderbilt won the turnover battle by a 16-8 margin, however, was outrebounded by the Tigers by a 51-29 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Commodores was Maxwell Evans who had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 steal.
On the season, Vanderbilt is averaging 72.8 ppg on 43.2% shooting from the field. The Commodores are averaging 9.4 three-pointers per game on 35.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Vanderbilt has been led by Scotty Pippen Jr. (20.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.2 bpg), Dylan Disu (15.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.2 bpg), Maxwell Evans (8.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.6 apg), & Jordan Wright (8.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 spg). Vanderbilt have been without both Scotty Pippen Jr. & Dylan Disu over the past three games due to injuries and they should both at best be considered questionable for this one.
Defensively, Vanderbilt is allowing their opponents to average 73.9 ppg on 46.2% shooting from the field. The Commodores have a rebound margin of -0.6 and a turnover margin of -0.3.
The Cincinnati Bearcats had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 9-9 on the season after being defeated by the Memphis Tigers, 80-74, this past Sunday. Cincinnati trailed by a 36-27 margin at halftime and could not fight back after the Tigers took a 71-59 lead with 3:16 left in regulation. Cincinnati shot 45.6% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc while Memphis shot 42.9% from the field and 26.9% from beyond the arc. Cincinnati was outrebounded by Memphis by a 45-32 margin while each team committed 15 turnovers. Leading the way for the Bearcats was Keith Williams who had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, & 2 steals.
On the season, Cincinnati is averaging 69.5 ppg o 42.8% shooting from the field. The Bearcats are averaging 6.7 three-pointers per game on 30.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Cincinnati has been led by Keith Williams (14.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg), Jeremiah Davenport (11.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.7 apg), David DeJulius (10.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.6 apg), & Mika Adams-Woods (8.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg). David DeJulius missed the Bearcats last game against Memphis and should be considered questionable for this matchup.
Defensively, Cincinnati is allowing their opponents to average 71.7 ppg on 43.7% shooting from the field. The Bearcats have a rebound margin of 2.0 and a turnover margin of -1.3.
The Commodores are 5-0-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss and 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Bearcats are 18-42 ATS in their last 60 games overall and 2-12 ATS in their last 14 home games.
This is a game in which you will want to keep an eye on the injury reports as Vanderbilt has been without their two best players in Scott Pippen Jr. & Dylan Disu for their last three games and their status really is going to change who I would side with in this game. I think Vanderbilt is the better team as Cincinnati is certainly not as strong as we have seen in past years, however, I am going under the assumption that Pippen Jr. & Disu are out again in this one and between the fact that that those two account for 50% of the Commodores scoring offense and that the Vanderbilt are just 1-7 on the road this season, I think the play here is to take Cincinnati to cover this small home spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Cincinnati Bearcats -6.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault

Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05