Vanderbilt vs Baylor Odds, Picks | Women’s March Madness Betting Guide (Friday, March 22)

The Vanderbilt Commodores and Baylor Bears will square off in Blacksburg, Virginia, in the 12 vs 5 women's March Madness First Round matchup for an opportunity to face the winner of 13-seed Marshall and an injury-riddled 4-seed Virginia Tech.

Let’s find a pick for our best bet on Vanderbilt vs Baylor in our betting preview.

Vanderbilt proved the doubters wrong Wednesday night as they led for nearly 30 minutes on their way to a four-point victory against Columbia in the First Four game in Blacksburg.

Iyana Moore and Sacha Washington stuffed the stat sheet, and head coach Shea Ralph’s defensive schemes to slow down Ivy League Player of the Year Abbey Hsu worked to perfection as she never looked comfortable all night.

Baylor hasn’t played since losing to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals on March 9. Up until that point, we saw an up-and-down Baylor the majority of the season, a team that could pull off big wins against teams like the 1-seeded Texas Longhorns or lose to teams that lose in the first round of the WBIT, like BYU.

I have this game a lot closer than 7.5 points. Baylor is not a team that has incredible size to outmatch or out-physical the Commodores. I also love that the Commodores have the advantage of already playing on this court once this week and the confidence of getting a win on this court.

Shea Ralph has quickly built a reputation to be the next big hire in terms of coaching with the success she’s had in her short tenure at Vanderbilt. She has the opportunity to make a real special run in March if Vanderbilt can get past Baylor, with Virginia Tech losing Elizabeth Kitley to a torn ACL.

I think the Commodores win outright here, but the best bet is to take the points.