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>>Vanderbilt vs Texas A&M Odds, Picks and Predictions: Riding the Commodores' Hot Hand
Vanderbilt is cruising right now, and can easily outperform its regular-season meeting with Texas A&M. With a Madness bid on the line, our college basketball picks think the Commodores take care of business again Saturday.
Vanderbilt vs Texas A&M picks and predictions
Vanderbilt deserves serious consideration for an NCAA Tournament at large bid regardless of how this game goes for the Commodores. However, another win should put all doubt out the window. They‘re playing better than just about any team in the SEC right now.
The Commodores could have been put away multiple times in the first half against Kentucky in a basic home game for the Cats, despite being in Vandy’s home city. However, Vanderbilt consistently fought back and stayed in the game until they were able to finally take control and lead the entire second half. Their resilience was impressive.
Sometimes in these conference tournaments, certain players can start to stand out and play better than they have throughout the season. That is the case for Vandy point guard Ezra Manjon. He absolutely balled out against Kentucky, shooting 8-11 from the field and 7-8 from the free-throw line to finish with 25 points.
That follows another impressive game against LSU: Manjon shot 7-12 from the field and finished with 17 points. He’s now 15-23 shooting from the field and 3-3 from downtown in the SEC Tournament. He was 3-26 from downtown in the regular season and averaged 9.3 points per game.
In the regular season matchup, Manjon shot 1-7 from the field and Vanderbilt only had 11 free-throw attempts to Texas A&M’s 36. That was quite the anomaly for Vanderbilt, who attempts 19.1 free throws per game and only allows 18.8. Against Kentucky, Vandy shot 20 free throws and allowed the same number.
Sometimes in March, you just must ride the hot hand. And that’s what I’m doing with Vanderbilt here. Manjon and the Commodores will continue their hot streak and advance to the SEC finals, clinching their berth into the NCAA Tournament. <<
Predictions: Riding the Commodores' Hot Hand
Moderators: kerrigjl, BrentVU, jfgogold, NateSY, KarenYates, Vandyman74, roanoke, VandyWhit
