Auburn vs Vanderbilt Odds, Pick for Wednesday

The Auburn Tigers look for a 4-0 start in SEC play for the third time under head coach Bruce Pearl as they head to Memorial Gym in Nashville to face the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Vanderbilt has slumped to a 5-11 record overall and an 0-3 start in conference action, which is a major momentum stopper after last season’s 22-win campaign and third-round appearance in the NIT.

Auburn will be on upset alert with Mississippi and Alabama on deck, while Vanderbilt is seeking its third victory since the start of December.

Since Pearl took over the Auburn program in 2014, the Tigers have never been ranked as high as fourth in the KenPom rankings. Auburn sits in that position now behind Houston, Arizona and Purdue entering Wednesday’s action.

The Tigers lost the season opener to Baylor in South Dakota but have been nearly flawless since then with a 14-1 mark the last 15 games. The lone hiccup in this stretch came in a 69-64 defeat at Appalachian State in which Auburn shot 3-of-27 from 3-point range.

Through three conference games, the Tigers have taken care of Arkansas, Texas A&M and LSU by double digits. Auburn owns a perfect 3-0 ATS record in SEC action, while barely picking up a cover as 13.5-point favorites in a 15-point win over LSU last Saturday.

One thing Auburn has done well is it's jumped out to early leads and maintained them throughout the game. Auburn led Arkansas by seven at halftime, led Texas A&M by eight at halftime and stormed out to a 17-point halftime advantage over LSU.

In all three games, Auburn easily covered the first-half spread, and it owns a 13-3 ATS record in the first half this season.

Johni Broome continues to lead this Auburn offense with 15.4 points per game while pulling down 8.4 rebounds. Chad Baker-Mazara has been a nice spark of late for the Tigers, scoring 16 points against Arkansas and putting up 19 against LSU, including hitting three 3-pointers in Saturday’s win.

Jerry Stackhouse is in his fifth season patrolling the sidelines at Vanderbilt, and he's made significant improvements to this dormant basketball program.

The Commodores finished with a winning record in his third season in 2021-22 and went 22-15 last season, which included 11 SEC victories.

However, Vandy has slipped to its lowest KenPom ranking under Stackhouse (191st) heading into Wednesday’s contest.

Vanderbilt has posted its lowest EFG% (46.2%), lowest 2-point percentage (48.3%), lowest 3-point percentage (28.9%) and lowest 3-point defensive percentage (37.9%) of the past few seasons.

So, where are the good signs? Vanderbilt nearly knocked off Alabama in its SEC opener, cashing as 13-point home underdogs in a 78-75 loss. The Commodores trailed by 18 points early before out-scoring the Crimson Tide, 60-45, in the final 30 minutes. It was too little, too late, but Vandy managed its second cover as a double-digit underdog.

Ezra Manjon (16.3 PPG) and Tyrin Lawrence (13.6 PPG) are Vanderbilt’s leading scorers this season, as they're the only two players on the roster averaging double digits.

Since last season, the Commodores have covered in five of their previous seven opportunities as a home underdog in SEC play.

One of those covers came in a 67-65 victory over Auburn as a 2.5-point ‘dog last February. Vanderbilt shot 36% from the floor in the win, while getting helped out by Liam Robbins, who hit 17-of-20 free throw attempts.

This is a lot of points to lay, but it's hard to make an argument for Vanderbilt with all its poor shooting numbers.

The Commodores have picked up several covers as big 'dogs in losses to Alabama and Memphis, but this Auburn team is an absolute machine right now.

Pick: Auburn -13 (Play to -13.5)

The must-have app for college basketball bettors

The best NCAAB betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

DOWNLOAD NOW