College Basketball Odds, Pick for Vanderbilt vs Auburn

No. 16 Auburn and Vanderbilt meet at Neville Arena on Wednesday night with both teams looking to get back on track.

The Tigers return home after losing back-to-back games on the road at Alabama and Mississippi State. Meanwhile, the Commodores haven't won a game in this calendar year and are a disappointing 5-14 overall.

The first matchup between these teams wasn’t very competitive, and I’m not too sure this one will be either.

There was momentum coming into the season for coach Jerry Stackhouse and his squad after consecutive trips to the NIT quarterfinals. However, that momentum hasn't carried over into this campaign.

Injuries have severely hampered this team as Vanderbilt has played just two games with a fully healthy roster. In total, the Commodores expected starting five coming into the year has played just 12.5 minutes together.

Ezra Manjon continues to be the engine for Stackhouse’s squad. He ranks in the top 15 of the SEC in both scoring (15.1 PPG) and assists (3.3 APG).

Manjon is one of 13 active players with 30 career games of 15-plus points and four-plus assists. He also joins Antonio Reeves (Kentucky) and Johni Broome (Auburn) as the only current SEC players with over 90 career games of reaching double figures in scoring.

Before coach Bruce Pearl’s team went on its recent road trip, there were questions about whether the Tigers could get it down away from The Jungle. Their only two losses were on a neutral floor against then-No. 20 Baylor and at Appalachian State.

Unfortunately, Auburn failed the tests last week. Pearl has to find another scorer outside of Broome and Jaylin Williams and needs to get more production from his guards.

Luckily for the Tigers, they are returning to Neville Arena and one of the best home-court advantages in the country. Since it opened in 2010, only Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee have better winning percentages at home in the SEC.

Auburn has won its past 13 games at The Jungle, which is tied for the seventh-longest home winning streak in program history. It should be rowdy once again in this one.

The challenge with making a bet for this game is figuring out the best route to back Auburn. I don't want to lay a number close to 20 points for the full game, but I do see another avenue with betting value.

My best bet is to take Auburn in the first half at -10 or better.

Only Purdue and Houston have better marks than the Tigers’ average first-half margin of +17.4 at home this season.

After back-to-back losses, I believe Pearl's team will have plenty of motivation and focus right from the opening tip.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has struggled in the opening period, ranking 298th in first-half scoring margin at -4.2. However, that drops to -8.3 when the Commodores are away from home.

In the first matchup, Auburn was leading by 17 at the break. I feel this is another opportunity for the Tigers to start fast.

Pick: Auburn 1H -10 or Better