The Vanderbilt Commodores take on the UCF Knights in Orlando, FL. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Vanderbilt is favored by -7.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -360. The total is set at 166.5 points.
Here’s my Vanderbilt vs. UCF prediction and college basketball picks for November 8, 2025.
Vanderbilt vs UCF Prediction
My Pick: Vanderbilt -6.5 (Play to -8)
My Vanderbilt vs UCF best bet is on the Commodores spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Vanderbilt vs. UCF Odds
| Vanderbilt Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -106 | 166.5 -110o / -110u | -360 |
| UCF Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -114 | 166.5 -110o / -110u | +280 |
- Vanderbilt vs UCF spread: Vanderbilt -7.5
- Vanderbilt vs UCF over/under: 166.5 points
- Vanderbilt vs UCF moneyline: Vanderbilt -360, UCF +280
Vanderbilt vs UCF College Basketball Betting Preview
Vanderbilt Basketball
Year 2 of the Mark Byington era got off to a roaring start Monday, with the Commodores eviscerating fellow Nashville school Lipscomb, 105-61. Many of the best traits of a Byington team were on display in that one, and the Commodores have snuck up to 16th in the country in KenPom’s ratings.
Most notably, Vandy’s pressure defense was all over the poor Bison. Frankie Collins, Tyler Tanner, and Duke Miles all had 3+ steals, fueling the ‘Dores transition offense. That trio of guards also combined for 17 assists and just three turnovers, displaying the unselfishness and playmaking that this potent offense possesses.
Finally, Vandy ripped the nets from deep, cashing in 17 of its 31 attempts from distance. Byington loves to flood the court with shooters, and this team is replete with them. Tyler Nickel is the headliner, a high-volume bomber who can get liquid hot at a moment’s notice. He went 6-for-9 in the opener and is a 40% career marksman. Tanner hit four, and Miles, Tyler Harris, and AK Okereke all connected twice from deep. Vandy’s spacing is pristine, and opponents are in trouble if they cannot stay attached to shooters.
The skeleton key to the Commodores’ success, though, is Devin McGlockton, the do-everything forward who gives Byington tremendous lineup flexibility. He can be a floor-spacing stretch big, or he can dominate the glass, as he did in the opener (12 rebounds in just 23 minutes). He has active hands defensively and makes smart, incisive passing reads.
Vandy’s two-way threats make the Commodores a dangerous team, especially to opponents with iffy guard play and shaky decision-making.
UCF Basketball
It is a crucial season for Johnny Dawkins at the helm of UCF basketball. The Knights have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2019, the only appearance for the program since 2005. They have also not finished over .500 in league play since that 2019 season, with the enormous Tacko Fall dominating at the rim. The administration may be ready for new blood.
The season opener was a nervous affair, with UCF barely holding off Hofstra, 82-78. The Knights won with offense, relying on the guard duo of Themus Fulks, a table-setter extraordinaire, and Riley Kugel, a true bucket-getting wing. Dawkins cranked up the tempo last season, and with Fulks and Kugel at the helm of the offense, UCF may be off to the races once again.
UCF’s best player in that game, though, may have been athletic forward Jordan Burks. Formerly at Kentucky and Georgetown, Burks is a savvy cutter and finisher as well as a highly versatile defender. Considering UCF’s weakness at center – John Bol and Jeremy Foumena are not difference-makers – playing Burks and burly forward Jamichael Stilwell together up front, along with three guards, may be the Knights’ best lineup.
However, that lineup is lacking in impact around the rim, and physical opponents could take advantage of that interior weakness. Even Hofstra, a mid-major from the CAA, shot 53% inside the arc and corralled 13 offensive rebounds.
Vanderbilt vs. UCF Betting Analysis
Both teams want to run, so this should be an up-tempo clash. KenPom appropriately projects it for 76 possessions, but after both teams played more patient opponents in the season opener, it could eclipse that mark as each finds a willing up-and-down dance partner.
To me, the game comes down to whether Fulks, Kugel, George Beale, and the rest of UCF’s guards can handle Vanderbilt’s ball pressure. The Commodores gave far better backcourts fits last year, and this nucleus of defensive demons may be even more disruptive than last year’s. If UCF cannot get into its offense, plus coughs it up for layups the other way, this could become a rout.
Numerically, I do not have a major edge on this game, so take that caveat along with this analysis. But from a matchup perspective, UCF cannot punish Vandy’s smaller lineups inside, and I do not trust the Knights’ guards to consistently make the right decision against the Commodores ' ball pressure. I am somewhat tempted by the over, but I do not think UCF has enough shooters to feel confident, even with pace potentially on my side.
Give me Vanderbilt at -6.5 and up to -8. Mark Byington’s march towards another at-large bid in Nashville continues.
My Pick: Vanderbilt -6.5
